New Espresso Machine Owner

"It will be both the easiest and the most difficult (or is it easily the most difficult?) thing you have yet encountered."
http://coffeegeek.com/guides/frothingguide

 

A nice looking little machine! For espresso, I think the quality and the freshness of the beans are the most important thing. Try and find a roaster who can tell you the roast date of the beans-- somewhere between 3 and 10 days is optimal.

 

You are on your way to espresso nirvana. Look at this website and it will tell you everything that you ever wanted to know about brewing coffee/making espresso based drinks. There is an amazing amount of science behind properly frothing milk. Look under the "articles" tab and then under the "brewing and frothing" subtab.

www.wholelattelove.com

 

I have that machine and have used it daily for over 3 years. It does just fine without spending the thousands of dollars for other espresso machines that some people feel the need for.

I suggest that you get a proper tamper otherwise you'll just have coffee slush in the portafilter. There is no way possible to exert 30lbs of pressure on the grounds with the plastic scoop.

Also, put your frothing pitcher in the freezer before you steam the milk, this will help the milk not heat up so fast and give you a nice standing foam.

If you're trying to get microfoam, for latte art and such, take off the autofrother- it does more harm than help.

A lot of people feel that the pressurized portafilter is bastardizing the espresso, but it does give it a very nice crema. It's considered pressurized because there is only the one bottom hole as when compared to conventional portafiters where there are several bottom holes, and it is especially necessary with conventional portafilters to apply the correct tamping pressure.

 

I've got a pretty nice Espresso setup, a MACAP M4 Grinder and a LaSpaziale Mini Vivaldi II which I use daily.

1. I agree with Wax, go to www.coffeegeek.com and research.
2. Don't skimp on a grinder. Get a stepless grinder with a doser.
3. Accessories are important, get a good tamper, frothing pitcher and knockbox
4. Try different kinds of espresso beans. I vary mine, right now I'm using Intelligentsia Black Cat which I get at Fresh Market.
5. Frothing is an art, it will take some practice but you'll get the hang of it!

 

I have a good friend in the restaurant business and she says, the only way to get good froth is to chill and make love to the holder.

I spend some watching her, and I guess she is right. But I could only watch for 7 minutes.

 

LMAO! My friend bought the exact same machine off of woot.com too! It came in when I was visiting. We made 5 or 6 cups of espresso the first day he had it. And that was at 4pm. I can't believe I slept that night.

 

I'm lazy and use Nespresso. Beans are pre-ground and vacuum sealed individually in a multitude of strengths and flavors. I find Nespresso has more consistent results then a real espresso machine and best thickest crema I've ever seen. And it's easy.
Mmmm goodness.

 

+1, couldn´t live without it..

 

Let me make it really easy...

#1 Tamper = Reg Barber

#1 Grinder (as important as the esp. machine itself!) = Mazzer (Mini for home)

#1 "The Ferrari" of Esp Machines bar none = La Marzocco (GS3 for home)

Beans are your taste but I'd recommend: Illy, Blue Bottle, Stumptown, Lavazza for starters.

 

what is the difference between blade and burr grinders?

 

First, a blade grinder can't grind coffee fine enough for good quality espresso. Secondly, a blade grinder also imparts too much heat to the coffee beans (when trying to grind fine enough for espresso) destroying some of the finer nuances of the flavor.

A burr grinder uses burrs to grind the coffee quickly and efficiently with minimal heat. It is AS IMPORTANT as the espresso machine itself! I recommend a Mazzer Mini for home use. Sometimes you can find them used on eBay or 1stinCoffee.com Check out coffeegeek.com for more info than you ever wanted to know about coffee.

Cheers!

 

thanks guy going to pick up a burr grinder this weekend.


now for recommendations on espresso machine under $500 and under $1000.

After a long debate,

the two ideas were you can get a good machine for less than 500. and some say you have to spent near $1000.

what do you guys say?

 

It depends on your needs. There are different types of boilers, some machines have double boilers. I use a LaSpaz Mini Vivaldi II, I like this machine because most people I make coffee for want a milk drink and it makes copious amounts of steam as it's a double boiler. But it's double your high-end budget. Most machines are capable of making good espresso, it just take some work dialing in the grinder and the machine itself for what you want to use it for. For example, my dad has a LeLit, I think he paid about $300 for it, and he uses it for himself. Works fine for him--he makes mostly macchiatos (espresso with a dollop of foamed milk).

Go check out Coffeegeek.com and search around. Figure out what your needs will be and go from there.

 

I'm a cappuccino or latte guy so I want mi espresso strong with correct flavor for the bean I'm using.

How do you dial in the grinder and which one would you recommend?

 

Again.... research coffeegeek.com. But here are some recommendations:

Rancillio Silvia (around $500)
La Marzocco GS3 (some say you have to spend around $5000 ;-)

Mazzer Mini (used @ $500)
Mazzer Rocky (new @ $500)

Cheers!

 

Every bean has its own grind for your machine pretty much. That's why you see recommendations for stepless grinders. My setup is a MACAP M4 with doser. I typically pull a shot and depending on how it comes out will tighten or loosen the grind a bit so the shot pulls properly. Some beans need really loose grinds and others need to be almost powder.

Remember pulling a good shot depends on the machine, the bean, the grind, the water you're using and the firmness of the tamp. They're all interrelated and one thing changes the next. If you're just buying a machine get a cheap lb of beans to practice on, it will take you a week or so to get it all figured out.

 

GatorFL - Sage advice indeed! I've blown through a full pound of beans just trying to dial in the right grind setting (usually when switching between brands). I'm a little more practiced at it now and it usually takes only 2-3 pulled shots before I find the right grind now. After a while you come to realize that a "great" shot of espresso really is "an art AND a science".