MH - what’s the capacity of the bottomless filter? 21g is a lot. like really a lot. i top out on my double-basket at around 18.5 grams. but if you think about it, there’s no real limit to how big you can make a filter basket if you have a bottomless pf. can you post a link to the filter basket you’re using?
you don’t need to wipe or whatever that’s just wasting coffee. you want to focus on the level of the coffee after you tamp it at 30 lbs. you want enough headspace, but not too much.
219F doesn’t seem right since water boils at 212F. Brew temps for espresso should be around 200F, give or take a few degrees. i typically pull at 199 - 201 depending on the coffee.
Yaacov, I think I solved it. Its a ranillio naked PF that ships with a triple basket…thats why it takes so much I assume.
I am going to play with the delivery temp at the brew head, they guy at pid silvia set the pid for me based on the insulated boiler…I can adjust it…so water out of brew head at about 201?
I ordered some redbird based on your rec, thanks for that.
ahhh… yeah, i’d skip the triple basket for the near term. 9th street here in NYC is big on them, but it seems like overkill to me. certainly when you’re just starting the journey.
redbird is great as it’s easy to pull. very much a comfort blend - light northern italian roast. i love the peanut butter elements. very similar to la colombe’s nizza, give or take.
try it first at 199 and adjust accordingly. look for a 35-second shot at 18 grams, so a little shorter at 16 grams. weigh the shot too - if you get 2x your coffee weight in about the same number of seconds, you’re likely close (i.e., 16g dose = 32g 2x at 32 seconds).
Sort of a confusing thread with the mixing of drip (Technovorm) and espresso topics.
On espresso, I would say that crema is extremely important, but then again, if you get the 30 second or so pull that you mention, one would normally always get a reasonable crema. Cases where I do not get crema are almost always when the espresso runs through too fast, either due to the wrong grind, or insufficient quantity or tamping.
My problem with the Silvia is that you cannot steam milk at the same time. For those drinking only espresso (not cappucino or latte), that is no issue of course. But those who like the occasional latte or cappucino, not having to wait for the steam to heat up (and then cool down) is a big advantage.
Espresso is certainly a bit tricky–one has to have a good machine producing reliable temperatures and pressures (so the HX group head is probably preferred), and then get the grind, quantity, and tamp exactly right. Even when I do this, I sometimes see differences between different coffees and roast–for example, the exact same treatment for Peet’s Sulawesi-Kalosi versus their Ethiopian Fancy yields too rapid a pull (so a bitter espresso lacking a good crema) in the former case, while the espresso is perfect in the latter case.
carl, yes, every coffee will behave differently and even differently over the life of the bag. that’s why a grinder imo is as (if not more) important than the machine because you need to be able to adjust the grind accordingly.
it’s also the main reason that i very strongly advise finding a coffee you like, and then really sticking with it. at least early on because it’s an unnecessary additional complicating factor when you’re trying to figure out a bunch of variables.
when i wrote don’t worry about crema, i meant that it wasn’t a goal in an of itself; when you get everything else in order which is more important, the crema will be there. lots of crema doesn’t mean it’s a good shot. needs to be balanced. therefore, focusing on crema is off target.
Good point, I have had lots of crema with a mediocre shot. However, as you say, when you do things right, the crema is there.
Anyway, the Ethiopian Fancy from Peet’s for me is great, brewing perfectly now on my machine (now about 14 years old). Just bought some Ethiopian SuperNatural, which is another level of wild blueberry and exotic richness…
I’m preparing to buy a Technivorm Moccamaster and see that several models are available, from 9587 ($299) to 9586 @ $250. There are also some 2012 models available for a bit less. Do the WB coffee-meisters feel that one of these models is better than the others?
Related, is the thermal carafe worth the addition cost?
Ian - you’ll want a burr grinder no matter what since it’s so much better than a blade, which I can’t recommend for anything other than grinding spices. the good thing for you is that there are a ton of cheaper models out there and since you’re not making espresso, you don’t need the very fine tuning.
for example, the baratza encore is an amazing grinder for the price $130
you’ll also want a digital scale to weigh your grinds as opposed to just scoops. makes a huge difference. get one that has 1/10 gram increments. tons available for around $25
I’ve backed off full coffee geekdom. These days I use either a mokapot (then watered down to make an americano), manual drip through a chemex filter, or an insulated french press. I’ve never geeked out over espresso. In the summer, I’ll make cold brew ice coffee.
hario plus chemex is about the best coffee you can get for the money.
but you need to really understand weight and temperature. and there’s a very specific technique that needs to be learned - geeky for sure, but awesome.
I switched to a Bonavita this summer (wanted something I could set up and turn on) and love it. It makes fantastic coffee. I burr grind the correct amount of coffee the night before, store it in an airtight container, and then just add the coffee and flip the switch in the AM.
For anyone in Chicago, I think that BowTruss has amazing roasts.
Just for hand-pour, or for drip coffee makers, too?
We have a Brazen brewer en route, plus a Capresso steel burr grinder - no doubt the Capresso falls short of the Bartaza, but we hope it will answer. I’m intrigued by the Brazen’s pre-brew soak function, among other things.
Ian, I am very interested in that machine. It seems that in the coffee community Behmor has a very good reputation for innovation.
I currently have no way to make a full pot of coffee except a french press, which I have become dissatisfied with over time. If the Behmor is really excellent I will eventually buy one.
my comment about “for the money” was lumping all infusion-styles together; drip, pour, french, etc. - as opposed to extraction; espresso.
the pre-soak function is intended to mimic the blooming aspect of manual pouring - pour a little hot water to soak the grounds, let them bloom a bit, and then pour the rest to brew.
I’m c;urious to hear more about both the Brazen and the Bonavita, as both seem to be worthy (and better priced) alternatives to the Technivorm. I’m pretty much set, but people are always searching and asking…and these three interest me. I have no complaints with what the Technivorm (or my Newco) create coffee-wise.