☕ Coffee ☕: Ingredients, Roasting, Grinding, Brewing, and Tasting

[TallDan]

A couple new espresso toys arrived over the last few days. Cheap portafilter funnel and distribution tool from amazon, and a VST portafilter basket. First shot pulled today looked a lot nicer than what I usually get, but didn't taste a whole lot better than what I typically get.

Also got a text this morning that the Elektra Sixties T1 that I was hoping to get sold to someone who had contacted the seller just before me. A little bit of a bummer, but I'm not sure that was the right machine for me anyway. It certainly would have been fun to play with for a bit at least, but for now i'll keep reading and hunting. Still have a couple things on the way though!

 

[jammin]

Elektra Sixties T1

that is a hell of a lot of machine there. a classic beauty for sure, but there are a couple reasons i wouldn't get one:
- no e61 screw in the group for thermometer. i know people get a flushing routine down but i don't think i could live like that.
- it's an absolute unit. truly built for commercial use & it would happily keep up with shots & steaming as fast as you can work. thats a lot of energy for home use though & a long warm up time. in the summer months it will be radiating A LOT of heat into your home.
- it's has a serious rep for being a "fire breathing dragon". that means a long cooling flush that will be quite raucous.

on the flip side, i believe the lever on the T1 allows for line pressure preinfusion which is a feature i cherish on my e61 machine. the steam power on it will be absurd - microfoam for daayysss years/decades/lifetimes etccc. once you learn to temp surf, HX machines are very nifty. you can adjust shot temp on the fly and also manipulate temp profile to emulate a classic commercial spring lever profile (slowly declining). not to mention it's built like a tank, easy to repair & holds its value. so it has it's upsides!

 

[TallDan]

that is a hell of a lot of machine there. a classic beauty for sure, but there are a couple reasons i wouldn't get one:
- no e61 screw in the group for thermometer. i know people get a flushing routine down but i don't think i could live like that.
- it's an absolute unit. truly built for commercial use & it would happily keep up with shots & steaming as fast as you can work. thats a lot of energy for home use though & a long warm up time. in the summer months it will be radiating A LOT of heat into your home.
- it's has a serious rep for being a "fire breathing dragon". that means a long cooling flush that will be quite raucous.

on the flip side, i believe the lever on the T1 allows for line pressure preinfusion which is a feature i cherish on my e61 machine. the steam power on it will be absurd - microfoam for daayysss years/decades/lifetimes etccc. once you learn to temp surf, HX machines are very nifty. you can adjust shot temp on the fly and also manipulate temp profile to emulate a classic commercial spring lever profile (slowly declining). not to mention it's built like a tank, easy to repair & holds its value. so it has it's upsides!

Which machine do you have, again?

Yeah, like i said, not sure it was really the right machine for me, some of the negatives you posted above but also, because of the size and plumbing, it would have to live in my laundry room at least for the near future. Not the end of the world by any means, but a consideration. With some minor plumbing, it could get into the kitchen, but wouldn't really fit well until a remodel happened, which is vaguely being planned, but not happening real soon.Based on the pictures of the actual machine, it needed at least some elbow grease to to get cleaned up for a nice presentation in the kitchen as well. However, for $1250, it would have been worth a look in person to decide if it was something I wanted to get into.

Timing wise, I'd like to see how much farther I can get with Miss Silvia after some new arrivals on Monday and Tuesday. Assuming that I do spring for a new machine, I think the prosumer machines would be a much better fit for me than a commercial monster like the elektra, so I'll continue doing my homework...

...there is an older GS/3 on h-b though...

 

[jammin]

Which machine do you have, again?
...there is an older GS/3 on h-b though...

my machine is an ECM Synchronika. way more than. the steam boiler is a total waste, i literally only turn it on every other month to kill bacteria & flush out the old water so it stays fresh. shots only, no milk drinks in our house. i really like the PID, line pressure p/i (since it's plumbed in & out) and onboard shot timer. the rotary pump is also nice and quite. overall it's a sweetheart of a machine. one of big reasons for choosing it is the build quality - ECM is the stereotypical German engineered machine. it's thoughtfully designed for maintenance and repairs and with all the videos online, i am very confident i could fix anything on it if needed.

GS/3 - I used to have one about 8 or 9 years ago. Super cool machine but i wouldn't get the AV model. Paddle only. If you could get a good deal and retrofit the new conical paddle with pressure gauge that would be sweet!

Id like to sell machine maybe in the next year or so and downgrade to a single boiler (SBDU) e61. Problem is i don't think they make one that can be plumbed in. ECM makes one pretty close thats an HX which is awfully tempting. Something about the minimalist aspect of it that draws me in. My grail machine is the La Marzocco Shot Brewer. Unfortunately it is obsolete and used machines are quite hard to find. Not very many were made and LM killed it due to "temp stability" issues. Apparently it didn't hold that flat temp curve on a Scace device like they wanted. I could care less as i would only pull 1-2 shots at a time and i'm totally OK with the temp dropping 2-3 degrees on it's worst day during a shot - i'd actually like that. Anyways.. if y'all ever see one gimme a holler. id buy it sight unseen

 

[TallDan]

The Synchronika is right at the top of my list. Figures that it's what you have.

So, if you do decide to sell soon, let me know.

Funny thing: Talking with my wife about a new espresso machine, she got a little sad thinking about getting rid of Miss Silvia. Feels like part of the family by now.

 

[pshankstar]

The Synchronika is right at the top of my list. Figures that it's what you have.

So, if you do decide to sell soon, let me know.

Funny thing: Talking with my wife about a new espresso machine, she got a little sad thinking about getting rid of Miss Silvia. Feels like part of the family by now.

If you and your wife decide to part ways with Miss Silvia, please let me know. I may be able and willing to take her in to a loving household. [emoji6]

 

[jammin]

^pshank those Silvias are classic machines. i wanted one badly when i first got into espresso, especially one with a PID. at the time, a PID was serious business and the kit was intimidating for me to install. look up Andy Schecter - he is an espresso GOD and was the first to hot-rod a Silvia and PID it. The dude really paved the way for what we have available nowadays. He worked closely with Greg Scace (widely known for the Scace Device) to enhance temp control of brewing water in the home espresso machine. One of my favorite things Andy did was his "patented Schectermatic Shnozzola (tm)" for Mazzer Grinders. Its a great snapshot of his funny & creative personality

The Synchronika is right at the top of my list. Figures that it's what you have.

So, if you do decide to sell soon, let me know.

Funny thing: Talking with my wife about a new espresso machine, she got a little sad thinking about getting rid of Miss Silvia. Feels like part of the family by now.

will do. maybe we can do a 3-way deal here if everyone is feeling froggy. i've had lever lust for ages and have been eyeing the Londinium R. seems like a sweetheart of a machine.

 

[TallDan]

will do. maybe we can do a 3-way deal here if everyone is feeling froggy. i've had lever lust for ages and have been eyeing the Londinium R. seems like a sweetheart of a machine.

It's an I, not an R, but:
https://www.home-barista.com/buysell/londinium-i-quest-m3-upgraded-t56564.html
(also possible that it's sold, he no longer has the m3.)

 

[Inkleg]

Sitting on the couch last night with my laptop I google ECM espresso machines. As I'm watching videos of the ECM Classika in action I catch my wife looking over every now and then and longer each time. After about the 3rd one I looked at her and ask how much do we use the toaster (referring to available counter space) she replied "Not as much as I'd use that". I'm now in the market for an espresso machine.

 

[TallDan]

Sitting on the couch last night with my laptop I google ECM espresso machines. As I'm watching videos of the ECM Classika in action I catch my wife looking over every now and then and longer each time. After about the 3rd one I looked at her and ask how much do we use the toaster (referring to available counter space) she replied "Not as much as I'd use that". I'm now in the market for an espresso machine.

As they say, the order of importance:
Barista
Coffee
Grinder
Espresso machine

 

[jammin]

^PREACH!!!

I sit back and laugh at some of these folks (I am one as well, guilty as charged) arguing about jumping from a $2,500 espresso grinder to a $3,200 and the perceivable differences in flavor. These chats blow up into 30+ page discussions that go crazy in depth. Never have I seen folks get anywhere near that rigorous about the origin of the roasters coffee, how it was processed, packaged for transport, stored prior to roasting etc etc.

 

[TallDan]

^PREACH!!!

I sit back and laugh at some of these folks (I am one as well, guilty as charged) arguing about jumping from a $2,500 espresso grinder to a $3,200 and the perceivable differences in flavor. These chats blow up into 30+ page discussions that go crazy in depth. Never have I seen folks get anywhere near that rigorous about the origin of the roasters coffee, how it was processed, packaged for transport, stored prior to roasting etc etc.

I can’t decide if I’m better off as a home roaster because I control more, or worse off because, well, I’m the fool in control.

 

[TallDan]

Best tasting shot I’ve pulled in a long time. Maybe ever.

 

[BongoYodeler]

Coffee addict here, first time in this thread. I need to make my through these pages. As an aside our niece's husband is a master coffee roaster up in the Bay area. He's one of the driving forces of The Pulley Collective. When they recently got married they gave out bags of coffee beans as wedding favors.

 

[TallDan]

Coffee addict here, first time in this thread. I need to make my through these pages. As an aside our niece's husband is a master coffee roaster up in the Bay area. He's one of the driving forces of The Pulley Collective. When they recently got married they gave out bags of coffee beans as wedding favors.

Welcome to the thread! My wife and I got married on international coffee day and also gave out bags of coffee as wedding favors.

 

[applescrap]

If you and your wife decide to part ways with Miss Silvia, please let me know. I may be able and willing to take her in to a loving household. [emoji6]

haha, love it. I use the delonghi ec 155 its 55. Pulled two shots this mroing. Not going to win any awards but happily drank espresso all morning. Iced with sugar and almond milk. I drink pot coffee black and esspresso iced with creamer and a straw and my little pinky out, while slamming nicotine pills like they were altoids. Then I hit a few energy fizzies from arbonne.

 

[applescrap]

I’d have to move. Roasting outside in the winter here won’t work.

Haha, ok that makes sense. It gets cold here too, I live with it. I roast barefoot and in shorts plenty. My fil said I have hobbit feet, I kind of do. Lol, no pics, sry.

 

[MaxStout]

Just for the sake of experimentation I tried to see how far I could go with a roast using the heat gun. Roasted 1/4 lb of Guatemalan beans and went maybe a minute past 2nd crack until the beans were dark and oily. There was a fair amount of smoke, which smelled good, BTW. I ground some and tried it in a French press. I obviously overshot the runway. Very roasty with a scorchy edge to the flavor. Kind of like Starbucks. Funny, the beans smell good, but the brewed flavor doesn't reflect that. It goes to show how risky it can be to push a roast too far. Things go to shiat in a hurry. But I wanted to see if I could pull it off, and I think I won't do that again. I'll stick with full city to Vienna range.

 

[jimyson]

I stopped to get a coffee today at a shop in a different part of town and ran into a pretty cool contraption. I thought that you all would enjoy this. Seems like they may need to level the right side. I wonder how long this brews for.

 

[jammin]

^cold brew is a hype feature of coffee IMHO. id take iced Aeropress over any other form of cold brew 10/10 times. those tower style cold dripper are works of art though!

 

[jimyson]

^cold brew is a hype feature of coffee IMHO. id take iced Aeropress over any other form of cold brew 10/10 times. those tower style cold dripper are works of art though!

Definitely pleasing to the eye. Before getting a cold brew filter and jar, I always just brewed really strong pour over coffee over a cup of ice and was always happy. I’ve only done a few batches with the filter so far and both have been really good as well. Only bad thing is that it takes about 9 oz of coffee for the jar that I have. That’s a lot of coffee!!

 

[ong]

Roasted these interesting Yemeni Mokha Harasi beans from Sweet Maria the other day. The chaff was unusually persistent, and made it hard to tell how dark they were getting. I roasted a bit darker than I planned (maybe around Full City), but they’re still very fruit forward, with a lot of strawberry as well as cacao notes. Really nice beans. Reminds me of a stout I brewed with really vinous, unroasted cacao nibs.

 

[TallDan]

Any espresso people look at the cafelat robot or flair? They both seem to get great reviews. I'm pretty tempted to get one...

 

[ba-brewer]

View attachment 614666

Roasted these interesting Yemeni Mokha Harasi beans from Sweet Maria the other day. The chaff was unusually persistent, and made it hard to tell how dark they were getting. I roasted a bit darker than I planned (maybe around Full City), but they’re still very fruit forward, with a lot of strawberry as well as cacao notes. Really nice beans. Reminds me of a stout I brewed with really vinous, unroasted cacao nibs.

Yemen coffee is suppose to get better with a longer rest period, something like 2 or 3days minimum. Even with longer rests I have never been very pleased with any of the yemen coffee I have roasted. I have always treated it like Ethiopian dry processed coffee and roasted it lightly, maybe I should of roasted a bit darker. Your roast sounds like a nice cup of coffee.

 

[shelly_belly]

Any espresso people look at the cafelat robot or flair? They both seem to get great reviews. I'm pretty tempted to get one...

I see a flair in my future. It would be a robot except for my arthtritic hands.

 

[jammin]

Any espresso people look at the cafelat robot or flair? They both seem to get great reviews. I'm pretty tempted to get one...

I hear the Robot is really solid. Temp tests are solid & pressure profile can be whatever you want. I’ve been tempted as well.

 

[ong]

Yemen coffee is suppose to get better with a longer rest period, something like 2 or 3days minimum. Even with longer rests I have never been very pleased with any of the yemen coffee I have roasted. I have always treated it like Ethiopian dry processed coffee and roasted it lightly, maybe I should of roasted a bit darker. Your roast sounds like a nice cup of coffee.

I’ve found it to be a little stronger and more aromatic than the African beans I normally roast, so I’ve been dosing it slightly lower. It’s an interesting and tasty roast (and I’m intrigued by the strawberry vs the blueberry I nearly always taste in the African beans).

 

[TallDan]

I hear the Robot is really solid. Temp tests are solid & pressure profile can be whatever you want. I’ve been tempted as well.

I struggle with the price. $60 in shipping puts the "barista" version at $430 from cafelatstore, $370 shipped for the regular version. Based on reviews, i don't doubt the value based on the build quality and materials, but that's a lot of money for a toy, and I'm not sure I'd use it as more than that.

The flair signature pro is right in that ballpark at $300, but the classic solo for $159 is another story...

 

[TallDan]

Just delivered...

...and a refurb Vario arrives tomorrow!

 

[pshankstar]

Just delivered...
View attachment 614727
...and a refurb Vario arrives tomorrow!

I have got to ask, what is that? I’m so lost in all this coffee talk these last few posts but I’m very intrigued.