back alley
IMAGES
too much time on my hands, i know...
for jan, some espresso porn
- Thread starter back alley
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 19
- Views 2K
Goodyear
Happy-snap ninja
There should be a camera in that picture.
Rico
Well-known
My espresso apparatus: Isomac Tea (123KB)
back alley
IMAGES
rico,
that's a thing of beauty!
joe
that's a thing of beauty!
joe
jan normandale
Film is the other way
Good morning Joe, you certainly have some attractive espresso cups there. I like them a lot. Very unique and hip. I think I'll make one now and have a biscotti.
Rico, you have good taste (joke/humour), I bought the second Isomac Tea sold in Canada a few years back. The franchisee for Gaggia had them in on a test marketing along with the Millennium and several other models. That is the one I purchased.
I'll post a digital shot in an hour.... if I can find my digital camera. It's a pocket size (the size of a small Snickers bar) 3 year old Sony
Jan
Rico, you have good taste (joke/humour), I bought the second Isomac Tea sold in Canada a few years back. The franchisee for Gaggia had them in on a test marketing along with the Millennium and several other models. That is the one I purchased.
I'll post a digital shot in an hour.... if I can find my digital camera. It's a pocket size (the size of a small Snickers bar) 3 year old Sony
Jan
Last edited:
ddutchison
Well-known
What a nice morning picture Joe. Man, those Isomacs, That's some serious coffee equipment. Here's a pic of my Vesuviana.
P.S. Jan, I still haven't made it to Tim Horton's! Somrtime soon though.
P.S. Jan, I still haven't made it to Tim Horton's! Somrtime soon though.
Chaser
Well-known
of course there is always:
http://www.espressoporn.com/
http://www.espressoporn.com/
Chaser
Well-known
which is a site full of pictures of espresso coming out of the machine and such....
R
Roman
Guest
Does any of you espresso-maniacs have experience with the Bialetti Brikka? I prefer those stove-top espresso makers (easier to ues & maintain, and MUCH cheaper), and the Brikka is supposed to give you a 'crema' like from a big machine (and unlike other stove-tops).
Roman
Roman
jan normandale
Film is the other way
Dave - what a cool old espresso machine. I had one something like that and it was a stove top. Was pretty cool, made a good espresso and you could scald milk too.
chase - wow, put your lens under a espresso machine! Out there.
Roman, the Bialetti is a good 'standby / classic' I saw the new one that produces the crema but don't know anyone who has used it. If you buy one put a shot of it up on this thread, love to see it
chase - wow, put your lens under a espresso machine! Out there.
Roman, the Bialetti is a good 'standby / classic' I saw the new one that produces the crema but don't know anyone who has used it. If you buy one put a shot of it up on this thread, love to see it
back alley
IMAGES
any tips or a how to for making great espresso?
mine always tastes bad.
i've had an electric and now a small stove top but no matter, bleeeek...bad taste.
any help appreciated.
joe
mine always tastes bad.
i've had an electric and now a small stove top but no matter, bleeeek...bad taste.
any help appreciated.
joe
jan normandale
Film is the other way
ask for espresso grind for home machines,
try distilled water in the tank,
don't use too much or too little espresso, experiment
tamp it down
change roasts if the coffee doesn't taste right
that's it for me Joe.
try distilled water in the tank,
don't use too much or too little espresso, experiment
tamp it down
change roasts if the coffee doesn't taste right
that's it for me Joe.
Chaser
Well-known
time your shots to be in the ball park of 19sec for 1 shot and 30 for 2
try useing a medum-medium dark roast espresso (somepeople go all or nothing with dark roasts and i think it is a bit of a mistake) make sure that your tamp (pressing down of the ground coffee) is even and not compressing one side too much so that the coffee is like a flat puck. I will try to send a n extra test of coffee with my print for the swap, we have great coffee over here.
try useing a medum-medium dark roast espresso (somepeople go all or nothing with dark roasts and i think it is a bit of a mistake) make sure that your tamp (pressing down of the ground coffee) is even and not compressing one side too much so that the coffee is like a flat puck. I will try to send a n extra test of coffee with my print for the swap, we have great coffee over here.
Tarzak
Well-known
backalley photo said:
Joe,
I don't know what you have done to date so I probably will go over stuff you already know.
The following info is based on a long quest to drink only good coffee. It describes how to make coffee I like. Use at your own peril, consult a physician if shakes persist.
1. Start with the coffee beans. Make sure that they are 100% Arabica, no Robusta beans unless you like really bitter coffee. IMO Robusta beans make the coffe taste cheap or stale.
Never buy coffee from your supermarket, who knows how old it is? Find a local or as close as possible roaster of beans. Down here any small roaster will have a café as part of the business. Ask their opinion, try the beans or grind in a coffee made by them. Your coffee at home should taste similar (perhaps not as good - depends on your equipment).
I do not grind my own coffee but get a smallish bag ground by the roaster. He has a good grinder. I do not. A weekly purchase of coffee grind makes better coffee than stored coffee. Small amounts do not need to be refrigerated, the coffee tastes better if it starts at room temperature. My roaster says; "Do NOT refrigerate my coffee". Vacuum storage if you have to.
The grind must be fine for an espresso. From the supermarket it is often too coarse and designed for plunger or (heavens forbid) dripolator. Not too fine, you'll clog the machine.
I personally love my beans to have a dark (dark dark) roast. I have a little sugar (white) to offset the bitterness. I detest medium roast beans. Lots of people like think that they are yummy. Up to your flavour buds.
2. To get crema the superhot water (preferably not steam) needs to be forced through the grind, under pressure, from above, to extract the oils which make the crema. Most stove top espresso machines are not designed this way. It is possible to get reasonably good coffee from traditional (scew apart) stove top machines but crema from these machines is minimal. Unless you have an Atomic or simlar design or the machine pours the coffee straight into a cup. Transferring from a jug to your cup will lose that crema.
I prefer electric (with a pump, not a just a pressure boiler) espresso machines. You can get close to café quality espresso from most (well designed) home (electric) espresso machines.
3. Tamp. Get a little plastic tamper (tampa?). This is a key step. Load the coffee and gently compress it with your tamper. The plastic ones that are cheap do the same job as the stainless steel expensive ones.
4. If the water from your taps tates no good, don't use it to make coffee. Get a filter (for your water)
5. Keep your machine Clean.
So, there you go. Easy.
Good beans.
Good machine.
Tamp.
Good water.
Clean machine.
Finally experiment with different beans and roasts. I get my roaster to slighty tweak the grind on the coffee I buy to suit my machine.
Be patient. A good espresso should take between 15 to 30 seconds to come out (these numbers are hearsay but do seem to work). Vary the amount of coffee you load and the amount of pressure you use when you tamp the grind until you are happy.
Hmmmm. Now I need a coffee.
Last edited:
Gabriel M.A.
My Red Dot Glows For You
backalley photo said:
Joe: Use Lavazza (they also sell an Espresso blend); it's a very good start. Also, don't ever use tap water, use filtered water. If you grind your own, grind it very fine. You're in Canada, so I don't know if you can get your hands on some good French or Italian coffee (meaning, that it came from France or Italy, I'm not talking about the "roast"). Ask a reputable coffee seller (i.e. not Starbucks or the ilk) about a good measuring cup for use on an italian coffee maker (the one that you use on the stove top).
The most important step is always the coffee, the other is the water; "bad" water can ruin any good coffee.
Hope it helps!
alfa
Member
Na na na na, you guys are great and all but leave espresso to italians 😛 😛
Essential rules for a good caffè, either be espresso (can only be made with steam/pressure espresso machine and good quality coffee that has just been grinded and is dense with aroma) or moka (small bialetti machines are all moka, even brikka even though it resembles espresso):
1. Especially for moka: Use your machine and never clean it with products and abrasive sponges, JUST WATER and HANDS. This is essential, it will never come our nicely if you don't use it many times in a week. It will always taste bad if you clean throughly your macchinetta (coffee machine) after you've prepared your coffee. After you buy it waste some coffee, make some and simply throw it away at least 3-4-5 times. Still after this it won't come out nicely until 3-4 days of good use (two times a day).
2. Only for espresso: best coffee in an italian Bar (the place where we have a caffè here in Italy) always comes out in the evening, never in the early morning (unless they have a high productivity). This is because the machine needs to heat up, entirely. So never be impatient it you want a good coffee.
3. Use high quality coffee. Illy is the best italian blend, then Lavazza, Segafreddo and so on. If you toast your own coffee from green beads instead of buying toasted blends or qualities you can have a better control over flavour/aroma/sweetness etc. I enjoy single qualities instead of blends (Arabica is a blend for example, made of a particular composition of different qualities in fact it's called miscela arabica, arabic mix 😉 ), the price is usually much higher and the flavour more definite, with more charachter and strenght than any blend.
4. Never use a lot of water. Espresso coffee at the end must be in a small, concetrated quantity...especially if you are a fan of ristretto which isn't simply a smaller quantity of espresso but it's an espresso made with the same quantity of coffee and less water.
5. Watch out not to tamper in Brikkas for example. Brikkas have a unique pressure valve system to have a coffee similar to espresso but if you tamper the coffee when you add it the taste will suck badly. Try to tamper and not to tamper on your machine and select the best solution in function of results, usually in pressure espresso machines they tamper it (but it's not a general absolute rule).
6. In Napoli (Naples, the capitol of espresso), in a typical Bar, they serve in very hot (and small, obviously) cups. They believe it's best, don't ask me why 'cause I'm not napoletano but sardo, from sardinia 😀 .
This is all I can think of at the moment. Hope it helps!!! I'm very happy to see so many fond of espresso, didn't imagine it!! 😎
P.S. - There's no such thing as a Tampa in italian 🙄 😛
P.P.S. - Due to all that I've said before if in a Bar you see a very shiny, perfectly clean espresso machine, check the parts that come into contact with coffee, if they are shiny as well, change bar, their coffee will probably be one of the worst you've ever tasted. 😉
Essential rules for a good caffè, either be espresso (can only be made with steam/pressure espresso machine and good quality coffee that has just been grinded and is dense with aroma) or moka (small bialetti machines are all moka, even brikka even though it resembles espresso):
1. Especially for moka: Use your machine and never clean it with products and abrasive sponges, JUST WATER and HANDS. This is essential, it will never come our nicely if you don't use it many times in a week. It will always taste bad if you clean throughly your macchinetta (coffee machine) after you've prepared your coffee. After you buy it waste some coffee, make some and simply throw it away at least 3-4-5 times. Still after this it won't come out nicely until 3-4 days of good use (two times a day).
2. Only for espresso: best coffee in an italian Bar (the place where we have a caffè here in Italy) always comes out in the evening, never in the early morning (unless they have a high productivity). This is because the machine needs to heat up, entirely. So never be impatient it you want a good coffee.
3. Use high quality coffee. Illy is the best italian blend, then Lavazza, Segafreddo and so on. If you toast your own coffee from green beads instead of buying toasted blends or qualities you can have a better control over flavour/aroma/sweetness etc. I enjoy single qualities instead of blends (Arabica is a blend for example, made of a particular composition of different qualities in fact it's called miscela arabica, arabic mix 😉 ), the price is usually much higher and the flavour more definite, with more charachter and strenght than any blend.
4. Never use a lot of water. Espresso coffee at the end must be in a small, concetrated quantity...especially if you are a fan of ristretto which isn't simply a smaller quantity of espresso but it's an espresso made with the same quantity of coffee and less water.
5. Watch out not to tamper in Brikkas for example. Brikkas have a unique pressure valve system to have a coffee similar to espresso but if you tamper the coffee when you add it the taste will suck badly. Try to tamper and not to tamper on your machine and select the best solution in function of results, usually in pressure espresso machines they tamper it (but it's not a general absolute rule).
6. In Napoli (Naples, the capitol of espresso), in a typical Bar, they serve in very hot (and small, obviously) cups. They believe it's best, don't ask me why 'cause I'm not napoletano but sardo, from sardinia 😀 .
This is all I can think of at the moment. Hope it helps!!! I'm very happy to see so many fond of espresso, didn't imagine it!! 😎
P.S. - There's no such thing as a Tampa in italian 🙄 😛
P.P.S. - Due to all that I've said before if in a Bar you see a very shiny, perfectly clean espresso machine, check the parts that come into contact with coffee, if they are shiny as well, change bar, their coffee will probably be one of the worst you've ever tasted. 😉
Last edited:
alfa
Member
Ah yes, one more thing.....you'll never find an italian that follows exactly the same procedure of another italian in making coffee. They might even both prepare a great tasting one, but they might disagree totally in how it's supposed to be done so experiment and find your best solution on your machine!!
Rico
Well-known
Other have posted good info, but I'll add my own anyway.
Making espresso is organic chemistry where the results are drinkable (hopefully). You need ingredients, equipment, and technique.
Main ingredient is coffee, of course. I'm happy to buy whole beans from Peet's (Espresso Forte or Italian roast). The purists roast their own, which is a subculture all its own. Other ingredient is water: ensure it has a clean taste beforehand! Note that distilled water is nasty on your palate, and also fouls the plumbing.
Equipment must generate nine atmospheres to produce crema. Steam machines like the old Krups are no good, due to low pressure and the excessive temperature of the water. That leaves electric pumps like those of the Tea and most commercial machines, or the old-fashion pull-lever designs. You also need a real grinder to achieve critical control of the water flow through the puck: I don't recommend spending under $300. I have a Mazzer Mini.
Technique is the fun part, and everyone develops their own. You want to "pull" the shot for an ideal time, in my case 35-40 seconds. This is managed by adjusting the grind, the coffee quantity in the basket, and the tamping pressure. With additional variables like humidity and bean state, you simply need practice - and a "Hail Mary"!
Refs:
Making espresso is organic chemistry where the results are drinkable (hopefully). You need ingredients, equipment, and technique.
Main ingredient is coffee, of course. I'm happy to buy whole beans from Peet's (Espresso Forte or Italian roast). The purists roast their own, which is a subculture all its own. Other ingredient is water: ensure it has a clean taste beforehand! Note that distilled water is nasty on your palate, and also fouls the plumbing.
Equipment must generate nine atmospheres to produce crema. Steam machines like the old Krups are no good, due to low pressure and the excessive temperature of the water. That leaves electric pumps like those of the Tea and most commercial machines, or the old-fashion pull-lever designs. You also need a real grinder to achieve critical control of the water flow through the puck: I don't recommend spending under $300. I have a Mazzer Mini.
Technique is the fun part, and everyone develops their own. You want to "pull" the shot for an ideal time, in my case 35-40 seconds. This is managed by adjusting the grind, the coffee quantity in the basket, and the tamping pressure. With additional variables like humidity and bean state, you simply need practice - and a "Hail Mary"!
Refs:
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.coffee (alt.coffee Usenet group)
http://coffeegeek.com (a major forum)
http://www.1st-line.com (a reputable vendor)
http://coffeegeek.com (a major forum)
http://www.1st-line.com (a reputable vendor)
bobofish
Two-fisted Atom Smasher
Alfa....some good comments from an authority. By the way, can I guess that you drive a Berlinetta?
Say what you will about Starbuck's (and I certainly have some choice words about that schmuck place) they have some outrageously good beans. They have a couple of special Ethiopian blends that will knock your socks off, they are really fantastic. If you can't find a good small roaster, Starbucks has some great options.
Pre-grinding coffee is not the way to go, it's a lot better to get a burr grinder and grind as you need it, right before you brew. Even the little cheapo grinders work ok, as long as you pulse the grinder in order not to burn the coffee from friction. I think the Krupps grinder is my favorite among the el cheapos, plus you can use it for spices. (you can come up with some interesting coffee flavors that you grind from time to time in your grinder...even the slight residuals of spices influence your coffee flavors)
And finally there is an unfortunate coffee truth....some people have the coffee ju-ju and some people don't.
In Turkey (the other capital of legacy coffee-making) many families will only allow one member of the family to make all of their coffee, because that one person has "the gift."
For example, my wife (who is European, and lived for a couple of years in Italy) can not make coffee very well, but every time I prepare it, it turns out awesome. Even if I prepare the Moka machine, and she cooks it, it still turns out as pure poetry. I've showed her all the things I do, and I certainly have some tricks here and there when I want an unusual cup of moka, but when I make standard moka, it's just plain better than hers.
You may consider building a small altar of coffee beans, and doing a little ritual to get the coffee gods to smile at you...it may be the only way to achieve proper coffee ju-ju.
Say what you will about Starbuck's (and I certainly have some choice words about that schmuck place) they have some outrageously good beans. They have a couple of special Ethiopian blends that will knock your socks off, they are really fantastic. If you can't find a good small roaster, Starbucks has some great options.
Pre-grinding coffee is not the way to go, it's a lot better to get a burr grinder and grind as you need it, right before you brew. Even the little cheapo grinders work ok, as long as you pulse the grinder in order not to burn the coffee from friction. I think the Krupps grinder is my favorite among the el cheapos, plus you can use it for spices. (you can come up with some interesting coffee flavors that you grind from time to time in your grinder...even the slight residuals of spices influence your coffee flavors)
And finally there is an unfortunate coffee truth....some people have the coffee ju-ju and some people don't.
In Turkey (the other capital of legacy coffee-making) many families will only allow one member of the family to make all of their coffee, because that one person has "the gift."
For example, my wife (who is European, and lived for a couple of years in Italy) can not make coffee very well, but every time I prepare it, it turns out awesome. Even if I prepare the Moka machine, and she cooks it, it still turns out as pure poetry. I've showed her all the things I do, and I certainly have some tricks here and there when I want an unusual cup of moka, but when I make standard moka, it's just plain better than hers.
You may consider building a small altar of coffee beans, and doing a little ritual to get the coffee gods to smile at you...it may be the only way to achieve proper coffee ju-ju.
P C Headland
Well-known
Tarzak said:
Actually, many, if not all Italian coffee brands (Illy, Lavazza etc.) contain some Robusta beans.
Coffee is a bit like film development - everyone has different times, blends, etc.
If you want to improve your coffee taste, make sure you use a machine / pot that has been "broken in". Run a few brews through it first before trying to drink the stuff. Use filtered / bottled water, at least until you can eliminate water as the source of the crapiness. As others have said, do not clean the inner parts with anything other than water (the same applies to tea and teapots).
You could start with a good known brand first, like Illy or Lavazza and experiment a bit with those. Either that, or find a local coffee shop and try a couple of roasts from there. You need to get the grind right (not too fine, not too coarse), and the right darkness (too dark and it can taste bitter or burnt) etc., etc. The water has to be at the right temperature too, just below boiling point.
Personally, I like my espresso without sugar (now), but if you do use sugar, use white sugar (again, like they do in Italy). I find brown or raw sugar tends to impart a sour taste.
Of course, you could just go to Italy 🙂
Paul
Similar threads
