Silly Commuter Coffee

k1875

A friend recently gave me a selection of coffee from here:

http://www.zeespresso.com/

Just sampling the Brazilian Santos this morning and it is very pleasant indeed.

andyrr

Have used hasbean and coffee earshot online roasters myself - I generally roast my own so normally buy greens but I've sourced roasted beans from hasbean and these were good and fresh.

rick_chasey

andyrr wrote:

Have used hasbean and coffee earshot online roasters myself - I generally roast my own so normally buy greens but I've sourced roasted beans from hasbean and these were good and fresh.

Bought.

spasypaddy

so i am now the owner of a gaggia colour (ebay £30). when it gets delivered i am going to need to get some beans

dhope

spasypaddy wrote:

so i am now the owner of a gaggia colour (ebay £30). when it gets delivered i am going to need to get some beans

£30 seems quite the bargain, good work

Give Pact a go to begin with, since the bag is a quid and there's no obligation
And use me for a referral
https://www.pactcoffee.com/spread/new
('new' being my referral code)

dhope

Any coffee snobs wanting a large drip filter / carafe for cheap (£35?)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000I1WP7W

spasypaddy

why does my coffee come out thin, has no crema and is bitter?

iPete

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19622463#p19622463]spasypaddy[/url] wrote:

why does my coffee come out thin, has no crema and is bitter?

Are you timing how long it takes to pull a shot?

spasypaddy

no, i wait till the espresso cup is full.

iPete

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19622961#p19622961]spasypaddy[/url] wrote:

no, i wait till the espresso cup is full.

How are you grinding?

It should pull in around 25-28 seconds. Too fast grind finer, too slow grind bigger.

tgotb

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19622463#p19622463]spasypaddy[/url] wrote:

why does my coffee come out thin, has no crema and is bitter?

What sort of grinder (or ground coffee) are you using? If you grind your beans using an old-school "spinning blade" grinder it'll come out pretty much as you describe.

I can't be a*sed with a fancy grinder; the coffee snobs will be horrified, but I just buy pre-ground Lavazza and it comes out fine.

dhope

Rhino hand grinder (free gift from Pact Coffee)

Then grinding arm is exactly the same size fitting as an electric hand screwdriver bit.
Makes hand grinding pretty quick.

spasypaddy

im using preground as well.

maybe its the wrong pregrind?

i'll buy some coffee from a snobby shop on the way home and see what results i get

tgotb

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19623016#p19623016]spasypaddy[/url] wrote:

im using preground as well.

maybe its the wrong pregrind?

i'll buy some coffee from a snobby shop on the way home and see what results i get

Just make sure it's ground for an espresso machine rather than cafetiere/filter machine. These days, if you're buying from a snobby shop that's probably the default option anyway.

spasypaddy

yeah i'll make sure of that.

why is good coffee so complex

spasypaddy

ok so good coffee bought, and its just coming out in the same crappy manner

im getting coffee out the bag in the premeasured scoop, putting it into the filter holder, tamping, locking it into place, then pressing the button. then all that comes out the acrid crap coffee no crema

maybe i'll video the next one so someone can tell me what im doing wrong.

iPete

It's (most likely) the size of the grind. Doesn't matter how fancy the coffee is, if the grind is wrong its going to either piss straight through it or its going to jam.

Here's a video I just found that shows the difference..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viwKkeBBIsc

spasypaddy

well my coffee is preground, i double and triple checked with the shop it was suitable. they said it was. i even questioned the different bags they had for sale.

i might be over tamping/under tamping. too much coffee/not enough coffee...

who knows!

but i emailed the guy who i bought the machine off and his response was:

Interesting, I didn't have any problems and got a good crema but was using pre ground espresso. When you were unpacking did you take the coffee basket (not sure what it is really called but you will know what I mean) out of the holder? If so make sure a little black nugget that sits in the hole is still there. When I first took the basket out, it jumped out as I wasn't expecting it to be there, used the machine without it and the result was poor. Found it, replaced it and all was good.

Other than that, I am not sure I can think of anything. We have moved to a Nespresso machine however, I am regretting that - it is tidy but not all that good at the coffee.

yes i have the nugget before anyone asks.

iPete

Have you timed how long a shot takes yet?

I remember getting exceedingly annoyed with my Classic at the start; was pissing away loads of Monmouth coffee.

spasypaddy

at which point do i start timing?

iPete

I go from when the first drop comes out

tgotb

Given there appears to be a problem, the interval between pressing the button and the coffee starting to come out might be helpful too.

How many scoops of coffee are you using? One or two?

spasypaddy

one scoop.

im starting to think the problem is me!

im going to descale the machine tonight (assuming my descaler arrives)

and then i'll record a video of my coffee making inability

imatfaal

You aren't making it with the espresso pod attachment still in?

spasypaddy

no, i dont have an espresso pod attachment as far as im aware.

ive just had a lesson off a friendly australian coffee maker. so im now fully prepared. i dont think im putting enough coffee in as a first issue.

iPete

Have some digital scales?

spasypaddy

i do have some. how much should i be putting in in grams?

spasypaddy

so ive upped my dosage to 20g and now im creating drinkable coffee!

thank you kind aussie bloke outside velorution on great portland street

iPete

Quick google suggests 14-16g but experiment away, although I've learnt doing 7-8 shots in a single sitting can really mess you up

itboffin

i quizzed the guy in notes covent garden and he rec. 12g he also took an age and it tasted weak, note over at moorgate have it nailed, their long black is spot on everyday. Because i'm lazy i'm now buying notes coffee with is 10-12 a bag almost twice monmouth prices :oops:

i do think it tastes better, more fresh although that could be snake oil delusion