AaronHartwell Senior Member Joined: 24 Sep 2012 Posts: 3 Location: Duvall, Wa. Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Sep 24, 2012, 10:44pm Subject: Making a proper cappuccino
After having owned my Rancilio Silvia and Rocky combo for almost 10 years I got the bug for a new machine. After doing tons of research on really nice HX and double broiler machines I decided to stick with my old trusty Silvia but spend some money upgrading her! I just installed a PID with pre-infusion and brew timer and am now in the process of installing a v3 steam wand and doing the pressure mod to get from the 11 bar I'm running now down to 9 bars. I bought a handful of other things like new burrs for the Rocky, a calibrated tamper, a bottomless portafilter with a LM double basket. All the regular Silvia geek stuff. :)
Ok, enough background on to my question...
Researching machines and mods made me realize how little I know about the drinks I've been making. I've decided that I want to focus on making a great cappuccino. Everything I'm reading says that the ratios should be 1/3 espresso, 1/3 milk, 1/3 foam with the average volume for all being around 6 oz.
I found what appears to be a good Youtube video of a barista making cappucinos with the ratios I've been reading about. Here's a link:
When I watch him prepare the shot he seems to be using a double basket filled to the top. Is that what I should be doing for a 6 oz cappuccino? I thought a double basket was designed produce two 2 oz shots of espresso?
NobbyR Senior Member Joined: 10 Jul 2011 Posts: 1,613 Location: Germany Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Poccino Opus One, Ariete Grinder: Eureka Mignon Istantaneo,... Vac Pot: N/A Drip: Melitta Linea Unica de Luxe Roaster: N/A
Posted Tue Sep 25, 2012, 1:53am Subject: Re: Making a proper cappuccino
There probably are as many variations in how to make a cappuccino as there are baristas, but the traditional Italian cappuccino recipe is as follows: 1 caffè espresso (25 ml) + 125 ml frothed milk.
*** "This drink of the Satan is so delicious that it would be a shame to leave it to the infidels." (Pope Clement VIII on coffee)
calblacksmith Moderator Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 5,685 Location: Riverside, Ca, U.S.A. Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ECM Veneziano A1 Grinder: Many different commercial Vac Pot: 40s era Silex Drip: Milita, Bunn&Curtis... Roaster: Cast iron pan, gas burner
Posted Tue Sep 25, 2012, 6:53am Subject: Re: Making a proper cappuccino
Like Nobby said, lots of ways to skin a cat. MY cap is 1/3 1/3 1/3, I would call what Nobby said, a Latte YMMV!
Your biggest bang for the buck would have been to sell rocky down the road and get a better grinder. Rocky was great when he was introduced but much better grinders are around and they sell for less than Rocky and they do not have steps, which on Rocky tend to be fairly large.
There is nothing wrong with adding a PID on Sylvia. I did that myself with my travel machine (used to be work but I took her home and now only use it on vacation, in Yosemite in the cabin) If Sylvia still makes what you want, more power to her!
There is a big difference with HX and DB machines tho, if straight shots are what you want, you are OK, if milk drinks are the main menu, a UPgrade may be in order sooner rather than later. Just saying.
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
AaronHartwell Senior Member Joined: 24 Sep 2012 Posts: 3 Location: Duvall, Wa. Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Tue Sep 25, 2012, 1:48pm Subject: Re: Making a proper cappuccino
Nobby and Calblacksmith - Thanks for the tips guys! Given all the money I just spent on upgrading the Silvia she's going to be around for at least 5 more years. The grinder suggestion has me curious to learn more about the advantages of new grinders. I'm no ginder expert but it seems like it's all about granularity of control and consistency. I get that the Rocky has steps and therefore has an inherent limitation on fine tuning the grind. Is it also less consistent than newer grinders? Or is there more to grinders than I realize? :)
Caffeinatedjen - Double basket should produce a single 2 oz shot of espresso. Thanks for the validation! I just measured and my two shot glasses that I pull into are each 1 oz. So I've been pulling 2 oz.
calblacksmith Moderator Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 5,685 Location: Riverside, Ca, U.S.A. Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ECM Veneziano A1 Grinder: Many different commercial Vac Pot: 40s era Silex Drip: Milita, Bunn&Curtis... Roaster: Cast iron pan, gas burner
Posted Wed Sep 26, 2012, 6:22am Subject: Re: Making a proper cappuccino
It isn't that Rocky is bad, mostly, it is the LARGE steps rather than fine steps that many grinders have. That and the fact that there are more and more good to very good grinders coming to market at the same or less cost. So when you look at cost VS results, there are better choices out there.
The Vario is much vaunted here and with good reason. It is much more adjustable and has a great grind quality and the price is an exceptional value against performance.
There is a whole science to grinding for espresso and in general terms, grinders that are for espresso produce a different grind than general use grinders and thus cost more due to the ridged nature of construction mandated by the very close tolerances need for espresso.
Double baskets, well there are double baskets and double baskets. They are larger and smaller and can be able to handle different volumes of grounds, by the time you get to about 20+g, they are starting to be called tripple baskets but that is not to say that they are good for THREE shots, rather they are more often used to produce 2 oz of espresso that is richer in consistency typically found in restricted shots of about 1.5 oz for a double shot.
The "standard" though is 7g of coffee for a single (one oz) shot 14g of coffee for a double shot
My doubles tend to be in the 18g range as I prefer the flavor at that dose of coffee to yield 2 oz double shot.
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
iroast Senior Member Joined: 3 Nov 2011 Posts: 66 Location: NJ Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Wed Sep 26, 2012, 6:46am Subject: Re: Making a proper cappuccino
I upgraded from a Rancilio S+R combo to a double boiler espresso machine and a Compak K6.
Pros:
My cappuccinos are more consistent and tasty.
No more temperature surfing
Adjust temperature and pressure for a better extraction. The taste difference from pulling Redbird Espresso blend shot from my new setup and old one is noticeable.
Making multiple cappuccinos for parties is no longer a hassle
I can plumb my DB later down the road
Quieter operation from DB and grinder
Looks great on counter
Cons:
$$$
Warming up my DB doesn't take that much longer than the Silvia. Routine is: wake up, fill water tank, turn on DB, get ready for work, take care of dog, make cappuccino, clean up and take off.
If you're curious about what DB I have, the hint is the last 2 words :-)
AaronHartwell Senior Member Joined: 24 Sep 2012 Posts: 3 Location: Duvall, Wa. Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Wed Sep 26, 2012, 8:08am Subject: Re: Making a proper cappuccino
Calblack - Yeah, the large steps limitation makes sense. I frequently find myself wanting a setting between two on the Rocky. I looked at the Vario just now. It looks sweet. Maybe next year.
Iroast - Congrats on the DB machine. I was pretty close to upgrading. The PID upgrade I did rids me of temperature surfing and lets me dial in very specific brew temps. I like that. I'm adding a gauage and an adjustable OPV so that I can dial in pressure as well. Entertaining is a pain with a single boiler but we don't do a lot of that so it's OK. Nicest single upgrade I ever bought was a digital timer that turns Silvia on about an hour before we get up. She's nice and hot when I'm ready to make my cappuccinos.
iroast Senior Member Joined: 3 Nov 2011 Posts: 66 Location: NJ Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Wed Sep 26, 2012, 8:36am Subject: Re: Making a proper cappuccino
AaronHartwell Said:
Calblack - Yeah, the large steps limitation makes sense. I frequently find myself wanting a setting between two on the Rocky. I looked at the Vario just now. It looks sweet. Maybe next year.
Iroast - Congrats on the DB machine. I was pretty close to upgrading. The PID upgrade I did rids me of temperature surfing and lets me dial in very specific brew temps. I like that. I'm adding a gauage and an adjustable OPV so that I can dial in pressure as well. Entertaining is a pain with a single boiler but we don't do a lot of that so it's OK. Nicest single upgrade I ever bought was a digital timer that turns Silvia on about an hour before we get up. She's nice and hot when I'm ready to make my cappuccinos.
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.
= No New Posts since last visit 