OT: Espresso - pulling a good shot.

[William]

The last couple of years I’ve been using a Starbucks Barista/Saeco espresso machine to pull shots. It’s been a solid performer and with good beans and a burr grinder makes very good espresso. Now, this machine comes with a pressurized portafilter which really takes out the tamping, and to some extent the grind equation and produces a no brainer crema every time. I clean all parts after every use and I’ve noticed recently that the spring action on the PPF has been gumming up. Yesterday I decided to take the PPF apart (I know this voids warranty on the PPF….but that expired long ago any way) and found that the spring mechanism and plastic parts were very gummed up with espresso residue. Before taking it apart I had scoured the Coffeegeeks and WLL forums and read about converting the PPF to a non-pressurized portafilter. I decided to go ahead and remove the mechanism and give the non-PPF route a try. I know this will require experimenting to get the grind and the tamp pressure correct to produce a good cup of espresso.

The kicker here is that Mrs. William is upset with me because my first few tries produced some pretty crappy cups. Not a good idea to get Mrs. William upset when she hasn’t had her espresso for the day. I decided to go ahead and clean it and put it back together…….and of course……..in the process of doing so the delicate mechanism broke. Now Mrs. William is steamed and I have a broken pressurized portafilter. I went ahead and removed it again and went back to experimenting before I went to bed. I was finally able to pull a good shot and thought I had it figured out. Cut to very early this morning and I’m making an espresso and it produces a crappy bitter cup with no crema. I have to head out for work with no time to play around with it again until later…….and Mrs William getting up later to likely, another bad cupa-joe.

So, I’ll be doing some more trial and error when I get home later today. I’m wondering if any of you espresso aficionados on the forum have any pointers to throw my way on getting things dialed in? I could just order another PPF to prevent Mrs. William from kicking my ass and be done with it, but I would like to get a bit more hands on with the process and use the non-PPF.

Help?



Thanks! :)
William

[paczki]

Make sure the portafilter is dry when you grind the coffee into it. Make sure to use your finger to even out the coffee in the portafilter before tamping, directions on how to do it are found on the many online sites. Make sure the machine is fully warmed up.

[flydhest]

While the PPFs produce crema, it's not the same as real crema from fresh beans. Start there, I would suggest. Fresh beans. I would also dial the grinder to a bit too fine and then back it off. (sidebar: of course, you'll recall that fresher beans need a coarser grind than older beans, all else equal)

Have you made sure the machine is completely warmed up? A timer for the outlet is a good idea.

The tamp is important, but I'd say get back to roughly where you remember being and then leave it. The exact 35 pounds that everyone talks about is less important than getting a good tamp. Have you read about the "Staub method" it can help if you don't have a good tamper/PF match to ensure that you are not leaving pockets of untamped coffee along the edges.

Quantity of coffee matters, as well. I do the North-South-East-West finger swipe. Again, the precise method doesn't matter, but get it consistent so you're doing it the same way each time.

After that, keep the tamp constant, the dosage constant, and just adjust the grind. With fresh beans, too fine a grind will make it so that you don't get any flow for the first 10 seconds. Then go a bit coarser, but taste each one. If it takes you more than three grinder adjustments, you deserve to have Mrs. William upset with you :)


Fall back--cappuccino.

[Ray]

With all of the respect I have for you, I would suggest that with a pressurized portafilter and a burr grinder you've been getting CONSISTENT espressos but you probably haven't been getting GOOD ones. Good enough is a relative thing, but having been down this road, there are real limits to the quality you can get with that setup. But going to a non-pressurized portafilter on a machine that was built with those limitations in mind may have some pretty serious limits also. Even if the pressure on the machine is right (a big IF), the water temperature is not likely to be all that stable or consistent.

But, assuming your machine and your grinder are adequate (which may or may not be the case), making shots with a non-pressurized setup requires a lot more practice and touch. You SHOULD be inconsistent for a while, even if it pisses off the good misses. The key variables that you can control (given that you plan to stay with the same machine and grinder) are the grind, the dose, the distribution, and the tamp. The grind and dose require experimentation and the grind will probably need to be adjusted as temperature and humidity and freshness of the beans change. The dose, distribution, and tamp should be the same from cup to cup and it just plain takes practice to get really consistent at it. There are no firm rules about dose or tamp - you just have to find a combination that works for you and stick with it very consistently. I use a very light tamp - other people are real sticklers about 30 pounds of pressure. Distribution should also be the same every time but there is a right way to do it - you really want the coffee distributed evenly in the basket to avoid spritzers and gushers and other bad things.

All of that said, if you and the misses were happy with the way it was, I'd recommending just buying a replacement pressurized portafilter. The quality will never be all it can be, but it may be good enough, and you'll be able to get back to the same level of quality quickly and consistently. If you wanna take the time to really get good with a non-pressurized setup, go for it. But as someone who's familiar with upgrade-itis with bikes and espresso equipment, be prepared to spend some money over time. You really do get MUCH better results with a machine that's made for a non-pressurized setup and a good grinder. And then the quality and freshness of the beans become really critical too. Its a whole hobby into itself.

-Ray

[dogdriver]

All of that said, if you and the misses were happy with the way it was, I'd recommending just buying a replacement pressurized portafilter.
-Ray

This is the most relevant statement put down so far in a thread that may prove to be the high point of my day (and its only 6:40AM, gonna have to work on that).

That said, my name is Chris, and I, too, am a coffee geek. Disclosure: I used a kitchen scale to train myself to get consistent tamping pressure.

You're opening a real can of worms here. After all, coffee-- much like wine, beer, macaroni and cheese, sports cars, the shape of a woman's back, moisture content in powder snow, Campy vs. Shimano vs. SRAM, choice of wood in martial arts weapons, LCD vs. Plasma, Picasso vs. Pollack, wool vs. lycra, Glasflugel vs. Schempp-Hirth, and a few other things-- is largely a subjective taste based on personal preference.

It doesn't matter if it would win a barista contest in Portland (it probably wouldn't)--If Mrs. Bill likes it, its good.

My $.02, Chris

[spiderman]

fresh roast
(specialtyjava.com--several really nice espresso roasts)
ground within 20 minutes of brewing
at just the right
'grains of sugar' consistency
and tamped
..lightly just to flatten..
with a gently clockwise spin of the tamper...

--it's all about the preparation--

you can thank me with a triple shot sometime

congratulations by the way
you've entered the stage of coffee exploration
that is the equivalent to
taking the bike off the trainer!

[bostondrunk]

Willy,
Come to the east coast and I will show you the way... :)

Yeah, now that you are using a 'real' pf, you need fresh beans, good grinder, and consistent tamp.
As the other guy mentioned, you can use a kitchen scale to practice on, or you could buy an Espro spring tamper (what I did).
Fathers day is just around the corner, tell the wife you want a Sylvia and a Rocky.
:beer:

[mister]

if i were you i would make the grind a little more coarse, then try pulling shots.
if the grind is too fine or the tamp too strong then you'll get a shot that is gross, no crema and not much volume. on your machine you have to pay attention to flow of the shot and crema, aroma, volume and time it takes to get it.
my grind looks and feels like flour. i've found i get more crema if the grind is jsut a little more coarse.

lighten the tamp and make the grind coarse, see what happens. then adjust the grind.
another thing you might be able to do is open the steamer for a second to drop pressure enough to turn the boiler on...unless you have seperate boilers...

i assume your running some of the water from the machine through the portafilter into the cup to get those warm..then drying them both before dosing the filter and pulling the shot.

[William]

This is the most relevant statement put down so far in a thread that may prove to be the high point of my day (and its only 6:40AM, gonna have to work on that).

That said, my name is Chris, and I, too, am a coffee geek. Disclosure: I used a kitchen scale to train myself to get consistent tamping pressure.

You're opening a real can of worms here. After all, coffee-- much like wine, beer, macaroni and cheese, sports cars, the shape of a woman's back, moisture content in powder snow, Campy vs. Shimano vs. SRAM, choice of wood in martial arts weapons, LCD vs. Plasma, Picasso vs. Pollack, wool vs. lycra, Glasflugel vs. Schempp-Hirth, and a few other things-- is largely a subjective taste based on personal preference.

It doesn't matter if it would win a barista contest in Portland (it probably wouldn't)--If Mrs. Bill likes it, its good.

My $.02, Chris

And that's probably the smartest line for me to follow......order a replacement PPF for Mrs. William to use to get consistent shots she's used to and likes. In the meantime, I can still play around with the non-PPF to try and get consistently good shots.

Ray, the machine has an option to run with a NPPF so it "should" be able to handle it (fingers crossed ;) ). I realize that like cycling, this can become addictive and costly the more one reaches for the "perfect shot".

Guys,

Good suggestions! I had not heard of the "Staub Method" but I found an explanation describing it here....

http://www.home-barista.com/espresso-guide-dose-distribute-tamp.html

I think making sure I have a complete tamp is going to be key. I'll start from where I originally had the grind and work from there. Since I've already started modifying the PF, I'm thinking I'm going to open it up all the way and go the naked portafilter route. From what I've read, being able to see how the espresso is streaming out can give you a good indication of what's going on with the tamp. Plus, it's fun modifying stuff. I'm actually also in the process of cobbling a drum roaster together to try the BBQ roasting method.



Thanks for your help folks!! :cool:

William



PS: Fly, you try getting getting the grind and tamp right with an angry, caffiene deprived woman standing behind you with a baseball bat aimed at the backs of your thighs. ;) :D

[Ray]

Since I've already started modifying the PF, I'm thinking I'm going to open it up all the way and go the naked portafilter route. From what I've read, being able to see how the espresso is streaming out can give you a good indication of what's going on with the tamp. Plus, it's fun modifying stuff. I'm actually also in the process of cobbling a drum roaster together to try the BBQ roasting method.
Naked portafilter is the way to go fer sher. It starts off being a great training tool and then stays nice because its really easy to keep clean and you can quickly diagnose problems if they develop later. And they're really cool to watch a shot develop with. But until you get it together, they can be a frickin mess! Just a warning. **** flying EVERYwhere.

They're all I use anymore. I keep the PF in the machine to keep it good and hot and then I grind the coffee directly into the basket or baskets for however many shots I'm about to make. Then I just pop 'em in and out of the portafilter and it never cools down. Good way to go.

But I gotta say just from how you're approaching this that you're well on your way down the slippery slope to home barista-hood. Enjoy the ride and prepare for some sink shots!

-Ray

[spiderman]

and the pressure applied...
...get a lever machine
like the gaggia achille
as your ultimate experience
...completely manual...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Gaggia-Achille-Lever-Operated-Espresso-Machine_W0QQitemZ360234466990QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBI _Hot_Beverage_Brewers?hash=item53dfa5beae

[William]

Sorry for the doble post, but a number of you posted while I was replying.

I'll be heading home soon and will start working it some more.

Spidey: That sounds tasty. When I get it right I'll toast you for sure. I'm excited....and scared going down this route. When I do something I tend to do it 110%.

BD: Not sure I can get the Mrs. to spring for a S&R for Fathers' day. It's worth a try, but she thinks I'm nuts for attemting to roast my own beans. Now if I pull it off and she tastes the difference between fresh, and packaged whole bean...maybe, just maybe. ;)

Mister: That's along the lines of what I was thinking. Go a little course and work in from there. I have occasionally been pulling blank shots.....but not consistent with it. I will make sure I'm doing it every time....as well as take Fly's advice on letting the machine warm up for a while.



Thanks folks! :cool:
William

[mister]

and the pressure applied...
...get a lever machine
like the gaggia achille
as your ultimate experience
...completely manual...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Gaggia-Achille-Lever-Operated-Espresso-Machine_W0QQitemZ360234466990QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBI _Hot_Beverage_Brewers?hash=item53dfa5beae


i have a gaggia factory.
while i get consistent shots...i've had it for a few years.

a lever machine will teach you how grind and tamp matter. too fine or tamp too hard and that lever is a sonsabitch to move...when this happens you just wanna move the lever all the way down so you can get the pf off without spraying hot grounds everywhere...
the black tar in the cup will taste horrible, have no crema and you'll be able to see oil on top...right into the sink and start over...

get everything right though and you will be rewarded.

[flydhest]

PS: Fly, you try getting getting the grind and tamp right with an angry, caffiene deprived woman standing behind you with a baseball bat aimed at the backs of your thighs. ;) :D

William,
You just have to get up a bit earlier, then :) Get the grind and tamp right then bring the coffee to her in bed. duh.

You're not far from Boston, so Terroir coffee is easy to come by.

Stumptown has a roaster in NY now, so you can get shipments from them within days.

Counter Culture is in NC and it gets to me within three days of the roast. For them, for espresso, not capps, I'd get the Toscana.

And while I agree in general that if she likes it, it is good, if you get the NPPF down and she likes it _more_ then you are golden.

Oh, and I was serious about the in bed thing. Waking her up with coffee in hand, you might not get out of bed for the rest of the morning . . . nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

[paczki]

William,

Come up and visit and I'll take you here:

http://www.barismo.com/

Best espresso I've ever had pulled for me, and also the best coffee I've used (including Terroir). It's the bees knees.

[Nautilus]

I was in the exact same scenario as you just over a year ago... I started reading coffee geek and realized that the shots the pressurized portafilter my Saeco was producing are sub par. So, I decided to de-scale the boiler and while I was at it I decided to take the portafilter apart. Well, it was so gross that I was glad I accidentally broke it. Then I bought a big commercial bur grinder and started experimenting.

I'm no expert in pulling a shot, but I am a bit of a coffee snob and it's pretty obvious to my palate when I mess something in the process up.

This might not be relevant to all of those out there with high quality professional machines, but since we have the same set up I figured I'd share my routine.

First, it takes my machine a long time to heat up. I cycle water through the machine about 10 times (10 cycles of the thermostat light turning off then back on). I do this enough cycles that I can hear what sounds like a little bit of steam coming through the portafilter, I've read this this is too hot, but it's what I do and it works for me.

Your second obstacle will be getting the proper grind. I had a hard time at first and was either having the water flow right through the beans or I was making the grinds too fine keeping the water from getting through much at all. Remember that the ideal shot pull should be somewhere around 20 seconds.

I've found dosing to be just as crucial of a variable as any of the above. I "technically" pull a double shot every time I use the machine, meaning I fill the portafilter to the brim with loose grinds that have dropped form the hopper. Now I've seen baristas pack a little more coffee in with their hands before they tamp the grinds down but I've found that the machine can't produce enough pressure for any additional coffee than loose grounds piled up to the very rim. Kinda the same idea as following a recipe with flower you don't want to pack it into the measuring cup or else you'll get too much Just loosely filled to the top then leveled off (I use a chopstick).

Then you just tamp it down with a good bit of pressure follow'd by a twist to polish the grinds, then I smack the metal part of the portafilter with my tamper to get the grinds stuck to the side or top of the filter to fall off, and if that doesn't clean it up I have a tooth brush sitting out to get all the grinds off the top and sides of the portafilter.

While I'm filling up the portafilter I cycle the machine one more time as it seems to cool down quickly during this process without the portafilter in place.

Then I simply put the portafilter back into the machine (don't need to twist it too far or else the grinds will get compressed) make sure the thermostat light has clicked off and switch on the pump.

Also, be sure to utilize all the hot water you made while cycling the machine to further pre heat your mugs and whatever you're pulling the shot into.

Good luck

[William]

I was in the exact same scenario as you just over a year ago... I started reading coffee geek and realized that the shots the pressurized portafilter my Saeco was producing are sub par. So, I decided to de-scale the boiler and while I was at it I decided to take the portafilter apart. Well, it was so gross that I was glad I accidentally broke it. Then I bought a big commercial bur grinder and started experimenting.

I'm no expert in pulling a shot, but I am a bit of a coffee snob and it's pretty obvious to my palate when I mess something in the process up.

This might not be relevant to all of those out there with high quality professional machines, but since we have the same set up I figured I'd share my routine.

First, it takes my machine a long time to heat up. I cycle water through the machine about 10 times (10 cycles of the thermostat light turning off then back on). I do this enough cycles that I can hear what sounds like a little bit of steam coming through the portafilter, I've read this this is too hot, but it's what I do and it works for me.

Your second obstacle will be getting the proper grind. I had a hard time at first and was either having the water flow right through the beans or I was making the grinds too fine keeping the water from getting through much at all. Remember that the ideal shot pull should be somewhere around 20 seconds.

I've found dosing to be just as crucial of a variable as any of the above. I "technically" pull a double shot every time I use the machine, meaning I fill the portafilter to the brim with loose grinds that have dropped form the hopper. Now I've seen baristas pack a little more coffee in with their hands before they tamp the grinds down but I've found that the machine can't produce enough pressure for any additional coffee than loose grounds piled up to the very rim. Kinda the same idea as following a recipe with flower you don't want to pack it into the measuring cup or else you'll get too much Just loosely filled to the top then leveled off (I use a chopstick).

Then you just tamp it down with a good bit of pressure follow'd by a twist to polish the grinds, then I smack the metal part of the portafilter with my tamper to get the grinds stuck to the side or top of the filter to fall off, and if that doesn't clean it up I have a tooth brush sitting out to get all the grinds off the top and sides of the portafilter.

While I'm filling up the portafilter I cycle the machine one more time as it seems to cool down quickly during this process without the portafilter in place.

Then I simply put the portafilter back into the machine (don't need to twist it too far or else the grinds will get compressed) make sure the thermostat light has clicked off and switch on the pump.

Also, be sure to utilize all the hot water you made while cycling the machine to further pre heat your mugs and whatever you're pulling the shot into.

Good luck


Thank you! :cool:

Using your suggestions as well as some of the others shared I was able to pull out some decent shots. I think I need fresher beans though. I think that will help a lot.

I found a couple of local listings for higher end machines....a little out of my price range but one can wish. :)

http://providence.craigslist.org/app/1579748140.html

http://providence.craigslist.org/bfs/1576756378.html

Anyone familiar with this one?
http://providence.craigslist.org/hsh/1580021049.html




William

[Ray]

Anyone familiar with this one?
http://providence.craigslist.org/hsh/1580021049.html

Fresh beans and a good espresso blend are HUGE. I try to only have a half pound out at a time, and we go through that in a couple of days, so the beans are only a couple of days post-roast freshness.

Those first two machines look like fairly heavy duty commercial machines and are probably overkill. The Accaso Dream got a lot of style points but not much in terms of espresso points. I think it may even be a pressurized PF machine also, so no real benefit to you there. If you do decide to upgrade, I'd go with at least a Rancilio Silvia and Rocky grinder. And maybe add a PID to the Silvia. That's a good setup to see how far into it you want to get. You can pull really good shots with that setup - it only falls down somewhat if you're doing a lot of milk drinks too. You can take it way beyond that too, but that's a fine setup to work out your technique and really start to see how good espresso can be.

-Ray

[fourflys]

If you can find it Good Eats/Alton Brown has a great episode on espresso at home... check the Food Network site...

[William]

If you can find it Good Eats/Alton Brown has a great episode on espresso at home... check the Food Network site...


Nice find! Espresso 101. Thanks!:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbqE3Npk13k&feature=related





William

[Kirk007]

I may have a budweiser palate for straight espresso or I'm fairly lucky, but with my upgraded machine and nice fresh locally roasted coffee, I get away with a fair degree of variability on dosing (my nuova simonelli grinder's dispenser is not the best design) and rarely adjust the grind and nevertheless get remarkably consistent and nice shots, even the first ones of the morning are more than acceptable for americanos and milk drinks.

I agree with others - fresh beans make a huge difference - and I enjoy the home roasting gig as well but I don't keep up with it enough so also buy local - relatively new roaster called Wandering Goat's Chupacabra Espresso blend.

If you do upgrade I would suggest you consider going whole hog. We had a nuova simonelli oscar, which is generally considered a bit better than the Silvia. It died and we were debating between the Silvia and the Vibiemme machines. After an hour or so with Stefano, who repairs macchinas, sells both and is frequent contributor to the coffee geek etc websites we went home with a Vibiemme with heat exchanger. It is night and day better than the oscar. Good to look at, easy to use, really nice espresso and very tolerant of sleepy operators (although you gotta get up and let it warm up for a good half hour). It's not cheap but as the advertisement goes - a happy caffeinated spouse - priceless!

[Ray]

I may have a budweiser palate for straight espresso or I'm fairly lucky, but with my upgraded machine and nice fresh locally roasted coffee, I get away with a fair degree of variability on dosing (my nuova simonelli grinder's dispenser is not the best design) and rarely adjust the grind and nevertheless get remarkably consistent and nice shots, even the first ones of the morning are more than acceptable for americanos and milk drinks.

I agree with others - fresh beans make a huge difference - and I enjoy the home roasting gig as well but I don't keep up with it enough so also buy local - relatively new roaster called Wandering Goat's Chupacabra Espresso blend.

If you do upgrade I would suggest you consider going whole hog. We had a nuova simonelli oscar, which is generally considered a bit better than the Silvia. It died and we were debating between the Silvia and the Vibiemme machines. After an hour or so with Stefano, who repairs macchinas, sells both and is frequent contributor to the coffee geek etc websites we went home with a Vibiemme with heat exchanger. It is night and day better than the oscar. Good to look at, easy to use, really nice espresso and very tolerant of sleepy operators (although you gotta get up and let it warm up for a good half hour). It's not cheap but as the advertisement goes - a happy caffeinated spouse - priceless!
The extra volume of an Americano and the milk in a cappa or latte will cover for enormous sins when it comes to the quality of the shot. Even a pretty poor shot can taste just fine when surrounded by a bunch of well steamed milk. The straight shots are the acid test.

As for machines, I agree that the Silvia is only the beginning of the decent machines. I wouldn't argue with anyone that wants to go higher end. A heat exchanger is great for milk drinks and can be great for shots if you really perfect the flushing routine to get the temp right. When I moved up from a Silvia I went all the way up to a double boiler and life is sweet with that - remarkable ease of use and consistency. Remarkably good shots almost every time and enough true god shots to justify the cost. I just don't think William sounds like he's ready to plunk down that kind of cash. Yet. :cool:

-Ray

[Kirk007]

I just don't think William sounds like he's ready to plunk down that kind of cash. Yet. :cool:

-Ray

ya but its a very beautiful slippery slope ain't it ... ; ). And once you start rolling ....

And take $700 for a silvia add the cost of a pid unit and you're quickly closing the gap to a new class of machine with such greater capacity. (anyway the argument worked on me - but it was being articulated by Stefano in a very persuasive Milano accent).

[gman]

Willy,
Come to the east coast and I will show you the way... :)

Yeah, now that you are using a 'real' pf, you need fresh beans, good grinder, and consistent tamp.
As the other guy mentioned, you can use a kitchen scale to practice on, or you could buy an Espro spring tamper (what I did).
Fathers day is just around the corner, tell the wife you want a Sylvia and a Rocky.
:beer:

Rancilio Miss Silvia and Rocky Dozerless...the best $1000 I have spent to date.

It's a very tempermental machine as far as coffee/grind/tamp, but once understood it makes the most amazing shots with a thick, gold, crema.

Just Do It...

[William]

I've been pulling better shots, but I was still having intermittent bad shots...basically uneven extractions. After searching around I came across the "WDT" method.

http://www.home-barista.com/weiss-distribution-technique.html

The first try at this method produced a much better shot and a more even extraction. Seems that uneven distribution was a problem I was having without realizing it.





William

[Ray]

I've been pulling better shots, but I was still having intermittent bad shots...basically uneven extractions. After searching around I came across the "WDT" method.

http://www.home-barista.com/weiss-distribution-technique.html

The first try at this method produced a much better shot and a more even extraction. Seems that uneven distribution was a problem I was having without realizing it.

William
That's a good way to go for a while in that it teaches you what the results of good distribution can be. And if you go with a bottomless portafilter, you'll also SEE the results of good distribution. But once you learn it, there are easier and far less time-consuming ways of getting a well distributed dose of coffee. I used that for a few weeks when I first got a Silvia. But after a while I dropped it and got better at just doing it with a couple of light knocks of the basket while the coffee is coming out of the grinder (to break up some of the clumps) and a consistent technique with a finger to spread it around and level it off and with a convex bottom tamper to make sure the edges are all covered and tamped evenly. Its all pretty easy to do manually, but its a lot like riding a bike - its a lot easier to do it all manually and automatically and without thinking about it after you've done it a lot and thought about it a lot. :cool:

Keep practicing!

-Ray

[William]

That's a good way to go for a while in that it teaches you what the results of good distribution can be. And if you go with a bottomless portafilter, you'll also SEE the results of good distribution. But once you learn it, there are easier and far less time-consuming ways of getting a well distributed dose of coffee. I used that for a few weeks when I first got a Silvia. But after a while I dropped it and got better at just doing it with a couple of light knocks of the basket while the coffee is coming out of the grinder (to break up some of the clumps) and a consistent technique with a finger to spread it around and level it off and with a convex bottom tamper to make sure the edges are all covered and tamped evenly. Its all pretty easy to do manually, but its a lot like riding a bike - its a lot easier to do it all manually and automatically and without thinking about it after you've done it a lot and thought about it a lot. :cool:

Keep practicing!

-Ray


Ray,

Yesterday when I made my afternoon espresso I had your last post in the back of my head. I still used the WDT to ensure even distribution, but after I removed the cup I lightly tapped the portafilter a few times, then used my finger to even out the grind and lightly tamp it with my finger. Tip of my finger centered in the middle, middle of my finger resting on the edge of the basket. Turning the portafilter a little with each tamp of the finger I circled around until ending up with a slightly concave tamp (like using a convex tamper). Then lightly tamped with a flat tamper (no convex tamper on hand) and polished off with a twist, made sure there were no errant grinds on the edges, locked it into the machine and….BINGO!! Made one heck of a great shot. The beans I’m using are good but I know there aren’t the freshest around. Even so it was the best shot I’ve made since removing the pressurized portafilter device running it non-pressurized.

I know I’ve been given some very good advice on fresh bean sources in this thread but before I go off trying those out I need to baseline against something I’m familiar with and I know is good. I’ve got some intelligentsia Black Cat espresso arriving today to work with. Marco set me up with some of these tasty beans a while back so I know it’s good, fresh, and familiar.

The experiment continues. :banana:



William

[Lewym]

Agree with the others that in addition to keeping fresh beans on hand, it is time to upgrade the equipment. In the single boiler class, the Silvia is a dynamite machine and with practice you can make cafe-quality coffee and milk. The cycling of the temperature (inherent with a single boiler machine, but tolerably slower on a Silva due to the larger brass boiler) is a bit of a drag and prohibits you from cranking out more than a couple of drinks efficiently, but for his and hers morning Joe, Silvia is more than enough. And IMHO substantially better than the Barista/Saeco or similar priced Gaggia unit.

The most important upgrade, however, is the grinder. If you don't get an excellent grinder you can't make excellent espresso. This isn't hype and you'll see it repeated on every coffee board. Get the Rocky. Nothing cheaper. Silvia or higher will blast through the finest grind on lesser grinders. The Rocky will be excellent and adequate for anyone's home needs (although a Mazzer mini would be cool, I am sure). One exception, in my experience, the Baratza Maestro (sometimes branded as a Solis) will grind fine enough for a quality machine (including Silvia), but it is kind of plasticy and not durable (I've been through 3 as my decaf grinder in the time that I've had one Rocky - 10+ years).

As others have said, moving to a heat exchanger or double boiler is nice. Plumbed in is nicer. I have the Fiorenzato Briccoletta (plumbed in, purchased from 1st-Line) and I love it (like I love my HSG). I have also used the Ala di Vittoria La Valentina which I prefer less to the Briccoletta. But the truth is that moving to this class machine is a bit of a commitment and funadmentally you can do everything with the Silvia, other than crank out multiple milk-based drinks in succession.

One other thing to consider is whether you can get the machine serviced where you live. Think Campy components - highly servicable, but you need someone with the parts and ability to do the work (unless you are handy - in which case Jim at 1st-line can source any part you need and give you basic instructions for repair). If you live in Seattle, PDX or NY/NJ you are in luck with just about machine. I've got a great guy for servicing commercial, semi-commercial machines in Seattle - PM me if you want the name.

[Charles M]

I pull a good shot every morning on the way to work... wide awake for the rest of the day...

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/charles/espresso.jpg
:D

[93legendti]

I'm lazy...the best shots I get are those from my stainless stovetop espresso maker.

You guys impress with me with your dedication.

[Velosmith]

Now this is important stuff!!!

[William]

Now this is important stuff!!!


Gets it.

Bikes and caffeine. What's more important? :confused:





William

[William]

Btw, it may not be top of the line, but I'm pulling the best shots this machine ever produced. Fresh roasted Black Cat, good grind, distribution, and tamp is producing some golden shots. Breaking that pressurized portafilter mechanism was the best thing I could have done. :beer:


Am I getting obsessed? :confused:





William :D

[William]

So I ended up taking the broken pressurized portafilter and modifying it so that I can use it as a naked portafilter. At first I tried drilling out the bottom of it to open it up but the bottom of the basket was still too far from the bottom of the portafilter body and it was making a mess. Next I cut off the bottom of the PF body to bring it even with the bottom of the portafilter basket so that there would be no interference with the golden espresso that would be streaming out. Let me tell you, Ray was correct. If you don’t get the tamp right it will go shooting off all over the place. After some experimentation I have the tamp down and I’ve got the espresso coming out in a nice golden stream…..ok, occasionally I’m getting some off-shoots but nothing like before.

I bought a new PPF for Mrs William to use and I’m using the modified naked PF now. I’ll post up some pictures later.


William




PS: Move at will Mr. Mod.