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seems like they’re branded for that ridiculous “osmotic flow” technique, where you’re supposed to grind really coarsely and only pour slowly in the centre and never ever wet all the coffee
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Oct 10, 2023 17:54
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ulvir posted:
Just got an email that they're out of stock until the end of October... Does anyone have another source for the Abaca 4 filter?
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Oct 10, 2023 21:20
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MetaJew posted:Where have you ordered yours from? some random dutch roaster close to me. Probably not much help for you. ulvir posted:seems like they’re branded for that ridiculous “osmotic flow” technique, where you’re supposed to grind really coarsely and only pour slowly in the centre and never ever wet all the coffee and lol that sounds deranged. what kind of imbecilic technique is that?
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Oct 10, 2023 22:10
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Ah, the PHITS technique (Piss hole in the snow)
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Oct 11, 2023 16:29
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I watched a video of a dweeb explaining that method and it seemed wasteful and tedious.
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Oct 11, 2023 16:34
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i’ve used an 1zpresso JX for about a year now, and when disassembling it for a deep clean today (which turned out to be pretty unnecessary, there was at most 0.1 grams worth of very fine bits caught up in a few crevices), and there seemed like the burrs had very very tiny indentations here and there on some of the edges. the coffee still taste nicely, but if they wear that quickly I’m not too confident of the longevity of this thing. perhaps I should snag a C40 during new years sales or something …
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Oct 11, 2023 16:42
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and of course I put on the dial the wrong way around, so now I have to recalibrate my internal memory of where the little dot supposed to point at burr lock and whatever setting I’m at
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Oct 11, 2023 16:44
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So, after a couple weeks or so of using the La Pavoni consistently, I must say I've been very happy with it. It's definitely not a plug and play machine, but I've been able to mess around with settings and have learned a ton about how espresso is brewed and tastes just through my experiences so far. It's really cool to pull a shot and see and feel the process through the lever. I went from absolutely cranking the lever down to 9 bar as quickly as possible to doing a more gradual build to 9 bar and then lightly trailing off toward then end and that has made my cups go from being unbalanced and acidic to tasting sweet and balanced. I've even been able to mess around with pressurized vs unpressurized preinfusion times and varying the amount of water pulled at various points in the brew process and it's really opened my eyes to just how big the changes can become from subtle variations. I've even started looking at brew profiles that people are posting for the Decent just for shits and giggles and been experimenting there, too. But man, when you get it just right, the cup is so clean and sweet and gooey. I think I've gotten the grind down to where it needs to be and have been getting pretty consistent results from it. Overall, I'm loving the journey.
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Oct 13, 2023 19:18
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Internet says the Flair Neo is a decent inexpensive manual espresso machine. Is there a better alternative for under $150?
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Oct 14, 2023 18:03
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Pretty sure that's the only manual at that price point that isn't a crude knock off. You may get a used Flair Classic for that much if you watch the usual places.
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Oct 14, 2023 20:09
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Just had an espresso tonic. It’s alright.
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Oct 14, 2023 22:00
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Howdy caffeine goons, I have an espresso extraction issue I'm hoping to get some guidance with. Setup: Breville Barista Touch Baratza Encore Grinder (old version) Espresso Tool needle thingy Problem: I've been getting wildly over extracted pulls on a new bag of beans (roasted within the last week) and somewhat inconsistent over extractions lately. Something to the tune of 50ish grams of extract for 16 grams of beans. I've got the grinder at the next to finest setting and will be notching it up to the finest for my next pull. However this has happened on and off for a bit now so I'm starting to wonder if something may be off with my machine. I took the grinder apart and cleaned it and it appears to be in good shape beyond the silicon gasket being tore; though that shouldn't be the root of the issue. Things have been more or less steady with this setup for a few years now so I'm starting to wonder if these beans are cursed.
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Oct 16, 2023 21:13
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Warbird posted:Howdy caffeine goons, I have an espresso extraction issue I'm hoping to get some guidance with. Are you just pulling a specific amount of time? Generally you want to aim for 1 to 2 ratio of coffee to output, and you want that to happen in about 30 seconds from when the pump starts. You probably need to grind finer, but generally its hard to get precise/fine enough with the regular Encore.
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Oct 16, 2023 22:09
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Speaking of the Encore, I'm looking to start putting together an espresso setup - does the burr upgrade (I want to say M2?) make for an acceptable entry-level grinder?
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Oct 16, 2023 22:15
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Warbird posted:Howdy caffeine goons, I have an espresso extraction issue I'm hoping to get some guidance with. That gasket is to prevent grinds getting in the assembly body. Not terribly important but you should replace it. We need more info here. Mainly, time. If you’re getting 50g out in 25 seconds with 16g beans than honestly that could be a near perfect ratio for some lighter roasts. A photo of the beans ground would be helpful to see if they’re consistent enough. + A video of the whole workflow and shot pull is even better. Do you have another bag to test with? And are the beans super light roasted vs what you normally use? If it’s lighter than normal you need to grind finer, and you may not be set up for it. Light roast beans are also typically harder to get right for the first 10-ish days after roast due to offgas requirements. Are you not getting burr touch noise on the finest setting? If you’re not, my guess here is you need to recalibrate the grind points. Encores have a set screw that lets you adjust how fine or coarse each number is. Location is different for every grinder as this is to adjust for manufacturing tolerances, but it can slip. https://mybreville.my.site.com/Brev...5c000000HUdgAAG FWIW when I was using my encore, I would get burr touch around 4-6 and couldn’t go lower.
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Oct 16, 2023 22:24
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Wachter posted:Speaking of the Encore, I'm looking to start putting together an espresso setup - does the burr upgrade (I want to say M2?) make for an acceptable entry-level grinder? The Encore isn't an espresso grinder. At least look at the Encore ESp. You're going to be frustrated by the steps and the lovely range but it can do espresso. Save yourself the headache and get a decent hand grinder if you're trying to go inexpensive. https://a.co/d/3Z20rjr People really like this one. The grinder is the biggest bang for your buck in espresso. Going cheap there will haunt the rest of the product and you'll end up chasing its ghost.
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Oct 16, 2023 22:31
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Cannon_Fodder posted:The Encore isn't an espresso grinder. At least look at the Encore ESp. You're going to be frustrated by the steps and the lovely range but it can do espresso. Save yourself the headache and get a decent hand grinder if you're trying to go inexpensive. That's my impression of the Encore as well. A more espresso specific option would be the Fellow Opus. Its not perfect, but its worth looking into and is only $200 for an espresso capable grinder. If you can swing it, something from Eureka or a Niche Zero is a pretty big upgrade from there.
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Oct 16, 2023 22:54
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Don't forget Lagom Mini too!
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Oct 16, 2023 22:58
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Join the Kinu Crew and crank it with us crazy folk.
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Oct 16, 2023 22:59
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amenenema posted:Don't forget Lagom Mini too! Do you have one? Or does anyone else in here? Its an interesting little grinder, and I've seen good stuff about it, but that underpowered motor it makes me wonder how durable it will be. I'm not sure its even been out long enough to get a long term impression of it though.
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Oct 16, 2023 23:02
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My wife put the Bialetti through the dishwasher and now it's grey-black. And so are my hands. I gave it a good scrubbing with soap and water and dried it but it remains funky. From what I read, the black oxidation isn't toxic, but it does bio-accumulate. I'm not sure about this but it is pretty nasty. Is there a goon recommended stainless alternative that's dishwasher friendly? Google is utter poo poo at finding out information.
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Oct 16, 2023 23:13
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Pilfered Pallbearers posted:That gasket is to prevent grinds getting in the assembly body. Not terribly important but you should replace it. They're apparently medium roast but your remark about offgas does line up with some of the similar issues I've hit in the past where beans would appear to be "not ready" for a few days before getting into spec. As for burr touch I don't believe so, but I'll have to check. I'll also have to eyeball those screws to see if I can coax it into playing a bit nicer for finer grinds. I've been vaguely meaning to upgrade to something nicer in the grinder department for a bit now so that's a potential avenue as well.
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Oct 16, 2023 23:32
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Warbird posted:They're apparently medium roast but your remark about offgas does line up with some of the similar issues I've hit in the past where beans would appear to be "not ready" for a few days before getting into spec. As for burr touch I don't believe so, but I'll have to check. I'll also have to eyeball those screws to see if I can coax it into playing a bit nicer for finer grinds. I've been vaguely meaning to upgrade to something nicer in the grinder department for a bit now so that's a potential avenue as well. Adjusting that screw will not make it nicer for finer grinds. All it does is adjust the finest point, thereby shifting all of the grind numbers whichever way you set the screw. The encore is in theory capable of Turkish, which should choke out any machine. The fact that you’re not choking out on #1 means your grinder is just shifted too coarse. You want to hear the burr touch at somewhere between 0-3, and never ever use those settings again and your new range will just be higher. Ideal is burr touch right after 0, but that’s incredibly hard to land. An upgrade will make better coffee though.
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Oct 17, 2023 01:30
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Spiggy posted:Join the Kinu Crew and crank it with us crazy folk. I have a Virtuoso and when I was looking into espresso I wanted to make it work so badly but ended up biting the bullet and going with a BPlus Apollo and regret nothing. The grind is so consistent and so clean for the cost that I don't mind the extra work every shot. And to be honest, if it's only 16g per grind that's nothing compared to the 40g+ I used to grind for me and my wife's morning pourover. I may eventually talk myself (and my wife) into a Niche Zero...
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Oct 17, 2023 14:45
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Bandire posted:Do you have one? Or does anyone else in here? Its an interesting little grinder, and I've seen good stuff about it, but that underpowered motor it makes me wonder how durable it will be. I'm not sure its even been out long enough to get a long term impression of it though. I don't but did consider it against the Niche I ended up with. All the reviews seem solid, the only complaint seems to be a motor noise some consider unpleasant
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Oct 17, 2023 14:52
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Following up, it appears to be squarely the beans. I grabbed a different brand’s efforts and it hit 2:1 on the nose. I’ll leave the other ones in the bag with the whatsit open to help “age” them a bit and bring them into spec.
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Oct 17, 2023 15:12
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Warbird posted:Following up, it appears to be squarely the beans. I grabbed a different brand’s efforts and it hit 2:1 on the nose. I’ll leave the other ones in the bag with the whatsit open to help “age” them a bit and bring them into spec. If they’re lighter than the beans that worked I still think you can’t grind fine enough FYI. While it does matter, passed 10 days should be that bad.
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Oct 17, 2023 16:43
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DkHelmet posted:My wife put the Bialetti through the dishwasher and now it's grey-black. And so are my hands. I gave it a good scrubbing with soap and water and dried it but it remains funky. a number of companies including bialetti themselves make a stainless moka pot. I would still not dishwasher the base of any moka pot because I'd worry about damaging the pressure release valve. also the filter basket is still aluminum; most moka pot alternatives are compatible with the bialetti parts so there is probably not a maker of stainless steel baskets out there and you will need to handwash that part as well. I recommend cafiza or puly caff powder for easily dealing with coffee oil buildup.
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Oct 17, 2023 17:01
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To follow up on an earlier post, my wife mostly uses a Mr. Coffee espresso machine now. I suggested to her the other day that we get ourselves a better machine for Christmas and she kind of bit. Budget is pretty low and we're not espresso enthusiasts, though she likes a good latte. I watched Hoffmann's £500 budget video and his "can you do it for £250" video. We have a Capresso Infinity and a Timemore hand grinder won't be getting a new grinder. For a $300ish budget, seems like the Breville Bambino, or Bambino Plus if we can find one on sale, is maybe the likely best machine for our setup? If my wife can make a good milk drink that makes her happy, and I can make an Americano or occasional milk drink that makes me happy, especially with beans I've roasted, then it'll be a success. Lance Hedrick's review of the Bambino is promising, if he's a source to be trusted. I'm not interested in tinkering or modding, other than maybe a better portafilter if it's worth it. I have too many hobbies for tinkering with poo poo and I think my wife would prefer I just leave something alone for once. So I won't be buying used with the intent of restoring, or buying a machine known for "just one flaw you need to put $100 to fix and then it'll be just right." Bambino good? Other options? I've heard the Gaggia is only ideal if paired with a grinder that is outside my budget.
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Oct 17, 2023 17:41
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The Bambino will be fine, but the lack of temperature PID can lead to sour and inconsistent shots if you're doing more than 1-2 of them. For the price, you're pretty limited in options. I've had my Bambino for 6 months now and definitely yearn for something with a PID, but those are $500-$1000+. If I could do it all over again, I'd probably get a ~$500 Breville Barista Express with a built in grinder or something. Is your wife really fine hand-grinding her shots? I'd get sick of that real quick. The portafilter does indeed suck. An IMS basket is a must. A self-leveling tamper is also nice to have. I'd get all 3.
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Oct 17, 2023 19:12
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amenenema posted:I don't but did consider it against the Niche I ended up with. All the reviews seem solid, the only complaint seems to be a motor noise some consider unpleasant That's pretty much me exactly. I strongly considered the Mini, but ended up with the Niche and couldn't be happier. I just hesitate to recommend the Mini for espresso since it wasn't really intended for that purpose originally. That and the Opus is finally out and is significantly cheaper.
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Oct 17, 2023 19:30
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Corb3t posted:
Nah, she just uses the finest setting on the Capresso, which tbf is finer than any grind I've ever had out of a counter top grinder. I have hand ground a handful of times at the finest setting on the Timemore, and I wouldn't want to do it more than once a day or if I was in any kind of hurry, but it didn't bother me much. It's easier with oilier store-bought beans than my own roast. quote:The portafilter does indeed suck. An IMS basket is a must. A self-leveling tamper is also nice to have. I'd get all 3. HenryJLittlefinger fucked around with this message at 19:39 on Oct 17, 2023 |
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Oct 17, 2023 19:35
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Are you opposed to manual machines like the Robot or Flair?
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Oct 17, 2023 19:55
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amenenema posted:Are you opposed to manual machines like the Robot or Flair? I personally am not, but I don't think my wife is into that idea. I was looking at the Flair/Flair Neo for a while, but figured maybe right now it's better to have one machine that makes a decent cup than a lovely Mr Coffee machine and a gadget that only I use.
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Oct 17, 2023 20:07
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:Nah, she just uses the finest setting on the Capresso, which tbf is finer than any grind I've ever had out of a counter top grinder. I have hand ground a handful of times at the finest setting on the Timemore, and I wouldn't want to do it more than once a day or if I was in any kind of hurry, but it didn't bother me much. It's easier with oilier store-bought beans than my own roast. I can't say I'd recommend grinding with the Capresso and trying to use it with any espresso machine - most machines are likely to choke. Being able to easily adjust your grind is one of those "ease of use" aspects that can drastically improve your process and make all the difference between "I love making espresso" and "I hate making espresso". We have all different preferences for our morning rituals, so it's up to you to decide what trade-offs you're willing to make. Nobody likes throwing money at a grinder, but my process would be so much easier with a Breville with a built-in stepless grinder or $200 Baratza Encore ESP that can be adjusted on the fly in seconds.
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Oct 17, 2023 21:02
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Yeah it's not worth it to me to add another $200 to the cost. If nothing works with the equipment I already have I'll just pass on it entirely.
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Oct 17, 2023 21:26
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:Yeah it's not worth it to me to add another $200 to the cost. If nothing works with the equipment I already have I'll just pass on it entirely. The Capresso will probably be fine, but you'll want to dial in any beans for your partner so they don't have to play with it - there's probably only a few adjustments that will work well for espresso, so it's a fine line between "it will choke" and "it's too coarse". While not "made for espresso", you'll likely find a grind settings that works well enough, but you won't be able to make any finer adjustments. For my use-case, the Bambino has been fine, but I've run into a couple of instances where I've had friends over and they all wanted lattes or espresso cocktails or whatever and suddenly my Bambino is only churning out sour shots at 212 degrees. Realistically, there's just a certain barrier of entry with espresso that is hard to overcome at-home, vs going to your local coffee spot and getting an espresso for $2 a shot. I've got a TimeMore Sculptor 064s stepless espresso grinder preordered that I'm eager to play with - for our household, it's easy to justify spending a couple hundred dollars for something that will get used daily for 5-10 years. Corb3t fucked around with this message at 22:52 on Oct 17, 2023 |
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Oct 17, 2023 22:48
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I've had a Bambino Plus for years and really like it. Far from perfect but nothing beats it for the money imo. Can do a decent cortado or flat white so does the job for me. Been mulling an upgrade but it's going to be a way off, nothing but a dual boiler would seem like an improvement. Being able to jump straight to steaming milk within seconds is really nice. When it comes to accessories, a tamper and WDT tool (if you don't want to DIY) are worth it. Got the normcore self-levelling tamper and it's great. Did also get a bottomless portafilter but that's not essential, it's just handy for diagnosing channeling, is easier to clean, and looks neat. There's lots of other bits out there if you want them, the Breville/Sage line is so popular that 54mm accessories are easy to find. Don't think you need a basket? Afaik the current models ship with a single wall basket which I've heard is pretty good quality.
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Oct 18, 2023 12:39
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:To follow up on an earlier post, my wife mostly uses a Mr. Coffee espresso machine now. I suggested to her the other day that we get ourselves a better machine for Christmas and she kind of bit. Budget is pretty low and we're not espresso enthusiasts, though she likes a good latte. Waste of money if you don’t also upgrade your grinder imo. The capresso doesn’t have enough adjustment to do a good espresso and the end result will be bitter, sour, or muddy. The bambino plus makes nice milk with the automatic steam wand, but so do the various milk frothers, at a third to a tenth the cost
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Oct 18, 2023 14:50
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For what it's worth, pairing a good grinder with a cheap coffee maker can net surprisingly good results. My folks have some hand-me-down drip machine; I got them a Baratza Encore and drat if it doesn't result in excellent coffee. The Hoff has a guide to eking out even more performance from cheap machines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-Ga8SRhRrE So I'd offer: Get a good grinder, maximize the performance of your Mr. Coffee, and if you want something like espresso for milk drinks use an Aeropress with one of the pressure filters (e.g. Fellow Prismo; guide here - https://fellowproducts.com/blogs/brew-guides/how-to-dial-in-your-prismo-to-pull-the-best-shot) Then if you ever want to upgrade to "real" espresso you've got the grinder situation more sorted.
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Oct 18, 2023 16:05
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