CoffeeGeek - Espresso: Questions and Answers, Noob wants to get 90% of the way to great espresso

Espresso: Questions and Answers
Noob wants to get 90% of the way to great espresso

Italian Coffee

Italian coffee beans, grinds and pods from Kimbo, LavAzza, Miscela d'Oro & Bristot. Qty. discounts!
www.espressozone.com

Not Logged in:

updated topics	new posts	new unanswered
search	faq	sign up

Discussions > Espresso > Q and A > Noob wants to...

view previous topic | view next topic | view all topics

showing page 3 of 3

first page

Author

Messages

klund
Senior Member

Joined: 31 Mar 2012
Posts: 71
Location: Southern MN, USA
Expertise: I like coffee

Espresso: Breville Dual Boiler
Grinder: Baratza Vario-W

Posted Wed Apr 4, 2012, 6:25pm Subject: Re: Noob wants to get 90% of the way to great espresso

D4F Said: 5 lbs is a lot if you don't end up liking it. I am trying 1 lb each of Redbird, RB decaf, and Blue Jaguar. I am saving the Blue Jag until I use the others, I don't want to mess with 3 at once. I like the Redbird and decaf, and can't wait to try the Blue Jag. I ordered 3 lbs to help with shipping. I will probably settle on 5 lbs of Redbird or Blue Jag for the next order. Posted April 4, 2012 link By "saving" do you mean "freezing"? I assume, with the time issue of keeping coffee fresh, that freezing has to be part of the plan for many people. Remember, I'm a n00b. If I pull a 2oz, 30 second shot that looks great, I'll drink it no matter how it tastes. Give me a few months at least before I start to turn up my nose at things.

-- klund Well then, you should see me without coffee.

pilot25
Senior Member

Joined: 7 Jan 2012
Posts: 93
Location: MD

Espresso: Rancilio Silvia
Grinder: Preciso

Posted Wed Apr 4, 2012, 6:41pm Subject: Re: Noob wants to get 90% of the way to great espresso

I'm in your camp and I think I'm 90% there after a month or so. Mistakes I made right away: Not temp. surfing. I have the silvia and blew this off as overkill. Not using fresh beans. Not using the same dose each time. Not tamping at the same pressure. Practice on a scale. Now I do all of the above and I get the same result which isn't perfect because the pressure of my machine is too high. By process of elimination you can figure out where you are. If all of the above are the same each time then you know; 1. if you can't get your timing right its the grinder. 2. Taste "funny" then it's temp or pressure. Eliminate one of those two and you know where you are. With all the information online its pretty simple if you have good equipment. You can't go wrong following this link: http://www.home-barista.com/espresso-guide-diagnose-extraction-problems.html

MARIOBARBA
Senior Member

Joined: 26 Sep 2011
Posts: 126
Location: MONTREAL CANADA
Expertise: I love coffee

Espresso: Ascaso DUO Prof TRONIC
Grinder: Baratza Vario

Posted Wed Apr 4, 2012, 7:14pm Subject: Re: Noob wants to get 90% of the way to great espresso

I have a sinking feeling your grinder may be the culprit. Your 1000$ machine deserves a new friend to play with. I know its not what you wanted to hear, but it may be the truth. Yes, fresh beans will help (although you should be able to pull a decent shot with the blue 1kg bags of Lavazza) and Redbird seems like a good place to get them. Dose and distribution are way more important than tamping. Also check the forums here to find the right temp settings for your machine and the particular coffee you are using. Again though, you should be looking to get a better grinder. Sorry and good luck.

jwoodyu
Senior Member

Joined: 31 Dec 2010
Posts: 704
Location: Michigan
Expertise: I love coffee

Espresso: Allex Duetto II
Grinder: Mazzer Major
Roaster: Poppery

Posted Wed Apr 4, 2012, 7:25pm Subject: Re: Noob wants to get 90% of the way to great espresso

klund Said: By "saving" do you mean "freezing"? I assume, with the time issue of keeping coffee fresh, that freezing has to be part of the plan . Posted April 4, 2012 link There are lets of threads on freezing and plenty of debate. I use small freezer bags in one day batch sizes. Get all the air out you can and follow common freezing practice. No my using bags is not very green, "I am in the wrong here, I suck" Carl To bad you did not beat Eric to that Pharos :)

You know those people that want to tell you how to raise your kids but have none of their own? That is how i feel when someone with a kitchen appliance tells me how the merits or dis-merits of my machine or how to use it.

D4F
Senior Member

Joined: 15 Mar 2012
Posts: 1,198
Location: USA
Expertise: I like coffee

Espresso: Gaggia Classic PID
Grinder: Preciso

Posted Wed Apr 4, 2012, 9:37pm Subject: Re: Noob wants to get 90% of the way to great espresso

Just to answer, my saving is freezing.

AndyPanda
Senior Member

Joined: 12 Jul 2010
Posts: 768
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Expertise: I love coffee

Espresso: Olympia Cremina, Various...
Grinder: Mazzer Major, Fiorenzato,...
Vac Pot: vintage Corey
Drip: AeroPress
Roaster: BreadMachine/HeatGun

Posted Wed Apr 4, 2012, 11:10pm
Subject: Re: Noob wants to get 90% of the way to great espresso

klund Said:

I was thinking about buying a 5 lb bag of Redbird and freezing most of it in smaller portions. That would hopefully allow me to work on grind/dose/tamp without having to readjust for new beans all the time.

Posted April 4, 2012 link

This is exactly what I do with RedBird (when I'm not doing my own roasts) and it works great for me. I divide 5 lbs into several freezer ziplocks. At first I would pull out and thaw the whole bag (3-4 days worth per bag) and most people recommend thawing first. But I got lazy and started pulling the bag and quickly weighing out one dose, sucking the air out of the bag, zip and back in the freezer. And I don't even let it thaw before grinding - right into the grinder while it's still frozen and I haven't had one bit of problem with it like that. Never have to adjust my grinder. (though almost everyone will tell you this is just plain crazy)

jwoodyu
Senior Member

Joined: 31 Dec 2010
Posts: 704
Location: Michigan
Expertise: I love coffee

Espresso: Allex Duetto II
Grinder: Mazzer Major
Roaster: Poppery

Posted Thu Apr 5, 2012, 5:52am Subject: Re: Noob wants to get 90% of the way to great espresso

AndyPanda Said: And I don't even let it thaw before grinding - right into the grinder while it's still frozen and I haven't had one bit of problem with it like that. Never have to adjust my grinder. (though almost everyone will tell you this is just plain crazy) Posted April 4, 2012 link I do let mine thaw but I still have to adjust but only tiny steps rather than chasing the thing.

You know those people that want to tell you how to raise your kids but have none of their own? That is how i feel when someone with a kitchen appliance tells me how the merits or dis-merits of my machine or how to use it.

klund
Senior Member

Joined: 31 Mar 2012
Posts: 71
Location: Southern MN, USA
Expertise: I like coffee

Espresso: Breville Dual Boiler
Grinder: Baratza Vario-W

Posted Fri Apr 6, 2012, 8:42pm Subject: Re: Noob wants to get 90% of the way to great espresso

I used my scale for the first time today - realized I had been over-filling the basket. Pulled four decent shots in a row once I got the dose closer to perfect. My wife enjoyed her cappuccino, so I'll call that success. She then asked me why I was using a yogurt container. She didn't think it was snobby enough for me. :-) Thanks for all the advice so far!

-- klund Well then, you should see me without coffee.

JDHarding
Senior Member

Joined: 31 Aug 2007
Posts: 1,099
Location: WA, USA
Expertise: I love coffee

Espresso: Ascaso Steel Pro PID
Grinder: Nuova Simonelli MDX,...
Vac Pot: None
Drip: Hario v60
Roaster: Behmor, Fresh Roast

Posted Fri Apr 6, 2012, 9:14pm
Subject: Re: Noob wants to get 90% of the way to great espresso

AndyPanda Said:

Posted April 4, 2012 link

Awesome. I'm not the only one. I too divide my beans into freezer bags, and when I run out of one, I pull another out and use it as is, still frozen, and make great espresso without ever having to adjust my grinder. The freezing doesn't seem to actually freeze the beans, just makes them cold. All the moisture is roasted out, so it's basically putting something dry into a freezing environment and there's no moisture to freeze, so it stays relatively unfrozen.

klund Said:

She then asked me why I was using a yogurt container. She didn't think it was snobby enough for me. :-)

Posted April 6, 2012 link

There's actually a set of snobbish mixing/dosing collars you can buy for your portafilter.

Click Here (www.orphanespresso.com)

Nice and shiny and uber snobbish.

klund
Senior Member

Joined: 31 Mar 2012
Posts: 71
Location: Southern MN, USA
Expertise: I like coffee

Espresso: Breville Dual Boiler
Grinder: Baratza Vario-W

Posted Mon Apr 9, 2012, 6:42pm Subject: Re: Noob wants to get 90% of the way to great espresso

I just want to thank everybody again. For me, the biggest difference to get to "decent" was weighing my dose. Just making sure I was within 0.2 grams of my target was enough to get a good shot. I'm going to open up a Redbird tomorrow, so I'll see how long it takes me to dial in a new batch. Fun!

-- klund Well then, you should see me without coffee.

showing page 3 of 3

first page

view previous topic | view next topic | view all topics

Discussions > Espresso > Q and A > Noob wants to...

updated topics

new posts

new unanswered

faq

Not Logged in: log in
Discussions Quick Jump:
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post

Forum Rules:
No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards.
No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum.
No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum.
Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards.
Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics.
Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies.
Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies.
Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts.
Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.

Cafe Espresso Machines

Video reviews, nationwide installation, leasing options... Nuova Simonelli, Rancilio, La Marzocco.
www.seattlecoffeegear.com