Posted Tue Sep 21, 2004, 8:05am Subject: Fantastic Espresso in Perth? Fantastic Espresso with a sunbeam cafe cream?
Hey all,
I am just starting out and all I know so far is I love coffee. So far I mainly drink milked coffee but now that I have my own espresso machine I am starting to enjoy shorter and shorter drinks. I am having trouble because I never know if my espresso tastes like espresso, so my question is where can I get truely fantastic (or even just great) espresso in perth?
So that you know i have a Sunbeam cafe crema, with all the crema enhancing junk removed and an unpressurised filter basket (thank you mattyj)
And a sunbeam burr grinder. I know it isnt the greatest equipment but im a poor student and all I have is what my family gave me (Thank you 21st birthday)
I have gotten to the point where i can get a shot with crema but its usually quite bitter and it used to be sour. I have been reading arround and all i've found is that sour is under extracted and bitter is over extracted. So it seems I can't quite hit the nail on the head? Any hints? pointers? what sould it taste like? This is driving me insane
Anyway, any help would be greatly appriciated, even if its jsut a point to some great coffee in a cafe somewhere
Luca Moderator Joined: 27 Jan 2004 Posts: 2,658 Location: Melbourne, Australia
Espresso: H: Maver W: FB-80 Grinder: H: Super Jolly W: Brasilia... Vac Pot: Hario TCA-2 Roaster: Sample Roaster at Work
Posted Tue Sep 21, 2004, 5:37pm Subject: Re: Fantastic Espresso in Perth? Fantastic Espresso with a sunbeam cafe cream?
Best thing that you could do is to mosey over to corey's cafe. He has a setup that makes all us Melbourne coffeegeeks green with envy! Drop him an email and introduce yourself; I'm sure he'd be more than happy to hook you up with a decent espresso!
As for your home setup, I haven't used a cafe crema, so I'll leave that to mattyj to comment ... although the most obvious tip is to make sure you're using great, fresh beans!
Posted Tue Sep 21, 2004, 7:08pm Subject: Re: Fantastic Espresso in Perth? Fantastic Espresso with a sunbeam cafe cream?
Hey,
Thanks for the tip, i have emailed corey and with any luck in any time i'll be over at his cafe learning toe true meaning of espresso :)
Also it seems im not using terrific beans, but I really don't know where to get great fresh beans. I seem to be paying alot but recent topics are leading me to believe these arn't great coffee's. I have purchaesd segafredo (harvey norman), lavazza & vitoria (woolworths) and gloria jeans "special espresso blend". But none of these seem particulary fresh. I have dabbled in roasting at home but I havn't got any really good green beans yet, just some generic green from a local itallian market. Any suggestions?
Posted Wed Sep 22, 2004, 12:50am Subject: Re: Fantastic Espresso in Perth? Fantastic Espresso with a sunbeam cafe cream?
Aside from Corey - who should be number 1 on your list of places to visit you could also visit:
Core twice
Fix Espresso in West Perth on Outram St - Justin the owner set up the CBD's fomer premier coffee spot - Grind. Fix also does good lunches;
Just Espresso in Preston St Como - I like their Cup of Excellence coffee, good hot chocolate as well;
Dome in the CBD, Caffissimo, ECafe - so you can taste what very average cafe coffee tastes like (which is not what you'll get at the above).
If you like the beans at any of the above you could buy them there - they all sell them - although Just Espresso beans are $60 a kilo, so you'd be better off with something cheaper to start with unless they really WOW you.
Otherwise: five senses (five-senses.com.au) (in Rockingham - deliver same or next day); withams (withams.com.au) (excellent service and some of the best online coffee I've had); alan frew (coffeeco.com.au)
Withams do sample packs which really are worth trying - you get 8 or so coffees in small 70g packets and can get an idea what the different types tast like.
and take a look at: www.shortblack.net for a whole list of online retailers.
BenB Senior Member Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 466 Location: Perth, Australia Expertise: Professional
Espresso: 2 x 2grp LM Grinder: 2 Swifts, Mazzer Robur
Posted Wed Sep 22, 2004, 12:56am Subject: Re: Fantastic Espresso in Perth? Fantastic Espresso with a sunbeam cafe cream?
The only green beans that I have seen floating around Perth have been at the Kakulas Bros. store in Northbridge but I too would love to find some more sources to play round with home roasting. BTW, how have you been roasting them at home?
I have a Sunbeam as well (damn thermoblocks to the deepest pits!) - the cafe aromatic which is the semi-programmable version.
Check out corey's blend when you drop through - he also sells it whole or ground and I've found it to be a really well-rounded coffee, great body with a smooth finish. Also, if you are in the area, try out cafe 130 in Leederville and just espresso in Como - both have the right attitude and good coffee depending on the barista.
Posted Wed Sep 22, 2004, 1:34am Subject: Re: Fantastic Espresso in Perth? Fantastic Espresso with a sunbeam cafe cream?
Hey guys, Thanks for the great replies, me and my friend will be going on a cafe crawl soon!
In the interest of better espresso I have modded my sunbeam grinder to make a finer grind by adding a peice of thin cardboard pushing the top burr closer to the bottom one. The resulting pour was slow with a deep brown crema, when I over doesd it with about 20grams it dropped out slowing and although it wasn't great to drink im looking forward to testing it all out with one of the great coffee's you guys have recomended.
The green beans I got were from Kakulas and I am using a mistral popcorn machine which barley got past the first crack and started melting (I over-loaded it I think), but I will be getting some of the beans from the Oz Greens group. The first time I tried was with my friend's which worked really well and got into the second crack before we stopped it.
Skarsnik Senior Member Joined: 24 Apr 2004 Posts: 159 Location: Australia (Perth) Expertise: Pro Barista
Espresso: None Grinder: None
Posted Tue Oct 12, 2004, 9:36pm Subject: Re: Fantastic Espresso in Perth? Fantastic Espresso with a sunbeam cafe cream?
Cafe 130 in Leederville aint worth visiting... Their beans are fresh but the 'person behind the bar' really dosn't know what to do with the LaCimbali :(...
I couldn't even drink their milk coffee, which is a very very bad sign as I'm pretty forgiving with milk based drinks.
One other thing to consider ... it may take time to like the taste of espresso, and not find it bitter or sour. Before geekness, there's no way i would have drunk a short black; too bitter. Now, i can't stand anything with sugar in it. Time is needed to develop your taste buds.
Eg: i recently took a friend to a great cafe in Mona Vale (Sydney), where i had a double ristretto, and he had a flat white with sugar. I ordered him a double ristretto, challenging him to try it. To me, the double was sweet and fruity, with a bit of bite. To him, (and i quote), it was incredibly bitter. Both were great shots, tiger flecking and everything (the guys there are trained at Campo's, use campo's coffee etc).
Maybe you just need a bit of time to grow into it. And when you finally stop having sugar on your weet-bix for breakfast because it's too sweet that way, then you're probably getting close!
Keep having fun!
P.S. Great to see another sunbeam user! Do you have to hold the portafilter in place during the shot to stop it popping off??? I do, everytime!
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