thanks for the attaboys fellas...glad to help out where I can
Best,
Jake
Reddick Fla.
Best,
Jake
Reddick Fla.
Wanting to get into the espresso game.
- Thread starter Mediumrarechicken
- Start date
I found B&B as a DE shaving newbie and I'm happy to find resonance with my love for espresso.
Before I make some suggestions that are sure to make folks grind their teeth, let me provide a very brief resume of my espresso AD, er ah I mean journey. I started out perhaps 30 years ago with the old Krups steam toy trying to extract different fractions to get a decent espresso. I graduated up through a number of thermoblock machines (Krups, Gaggia, whoever made Barista for Starbucks) until I found the Rocky and Silvia 15-16 years ago. I eventually PIDed my Silvia and did a bit of home roasting, but gradually decided that not only did the pros do a better job, but I was very lucky to have so many excellent roasts available. About 5 years ago I retired the Rocky and got a Macap grinder, and a year after that I replace the Silvia with a plumbed in rotary pump E61 heat exchanger (Quickmill Vetrano).
Because my espresso obsession is obvious to friends and family I regularly get asked about home espresso. My advice is, if you want espresso at home without an expensive hobby, get a Nespresso. It is not true artisan espresso, but it is better than 95% of what people make at home, including those with super autos and higher end semi autos. The espresso produced is more in the Italian style than the Northwestern US style. Yet it is easy to use, very consistent and the machines are relatively inexpensive because Nestle system engineered most of the tough control variables into the pods. The machines are quick to use, so it is very easy for entertaining and amazingly mess free. You are stuck with their selection of pods, and the range of coffees is of course limited, as is the style. There is no pod that lets you make a Schomer style triple ristretto with the consistency of syrup and a volume of 15 ml. I am not knocking the hobby if you want the investment of time and money and you drink a lot of straight shots. BTW, my brother, sister, ex-wife, and three of my five kids have Nespressos--I should get a commission. They are all thrilled with their cappuccinos, and I can actually have a very drinkable shot now when I visit.
The other suggestion I make for people who primarily drink milk espresso drinks at home but want to tinker, is that they try the Aeropress. Yes it is not really espresso, but it gets an appropriate extraction for making lattes and cappuccinos, it gives the operator control of many variables, and it is much more forgiving of grind consistency so it works with a lower end grinder than you would need for a serious espresso set up. It is also portable and combined with a hand grinder very effective on the road. Last but not least, it is a very good brewing method in its own right when it is not impersonating espresso. I use it regularly to brew coffees that just don't work well as espresso.
Of course how one pursues a hobby is a very personal choice and I have been impressed with the support and tolerance for different points of view at B&B. The home-barista and coffeegeek forums are a bit less considerate of other than the one true approach, and you don't see "ymmv" there nearly so much.
Good brewing and shaving,
Alan
Before I make some suggestions that are sure to make folks grind their teeth, let me provide a very brief resume of my espresso AD, er ah I mean journey. I started out perhaps 30 years ago with the old Krups steam toy trying to extract different fractions to get a decent espresso. I graduated up through a number of thermoblock machines (Krups, Gaggia, whoever made Barista for Starbucks) until I found the Rocky and Silvia 15-16 years ago. I eventually PIDed my Silvia and did a bit of home roasting, but gradually decided that not only did the pros do a better job, but I was very lucky to have so many excellent roasts available. About 5 years ago I retired the Rocky and got a Macap grinder, and a year after that I replace the Silvia with a plumbed in rotary pump E61 heat exchanger (Quickmill Vetrano).
Because my espresso obsession is obvious to friends and family I regularly get asked about home espresso. My advice is, if you want espresso at home without an expensive hobby, get a Nespresso. It is not true artisan espresso, but it is better than 95% of what people make at home, including those with super autos and higher end semi autos. The espresso produced is more in the Italian style than the Northwestern US style. Yet it is easy to use, very consistent and the machines are relatively inexpensive because Nestle system engineered most of the tough control variables into the pods. The machines are quick to use, so it is very easy for entertaining and amazingly mess free. You are stuck with their selection of pods, and the range of coffees is of course limited, as is the style. There is no pod that lets you make a Schomer style triple ristretto with the consistency of syrup and a volume of 15 ml. I am not knocking the hobby if you want the investment of time and money and you drink a lot of straight shots. BTW, my brother, sister, ex-wife, and three of my five kids have Nespressos--I should get a commission. They are all thrilled with their cappuccinos, and I can actually have a very drinkable shot now when I visit.
The other suggestion I make for people who primarily drink milk espresso drinks at home but want to tinker, is that they try the Aeropress. Yes it is not really espresso, but it gets an appropriate extraction for making lattes and cappuccinos, it gives the operator control of many variables, and it is much more forgiving of grind consistency so it works with a lower end grinder than you would need for a serious espresso set up. It is also portable and combined with a hand grinder very effective on the road. Last but not least, it is a very good brewing method in its own right when it is not impersonating espresso. I use it regularly to brew coffees that just don't work well as espresso.
Of course how one pursues a hobby is a very personal choice and I have been impressed with the support and tolerance for different points of view at B&B. The home-barista and coffeegeek forums are a bit less considerate of other than the one true approach, and you don't see "ymmv" there nearly so much.
Good brewing and shaving,
Alan
You pretty much hit a home run with what you have said.
With good espresso as in shaving it is the hand behind the tool that makes it or breaks it.
Just like it takes time to learn to play the piano, or shave
It takes time to learn the art of espresso and to understand coffee in general.Nespresso is pretty hard to beat if you want something fast, consistent, and rather decent and you don't want to spend years getting to the level that a little plastic cup has already achieved
Good advice. The best deals on espresso equipment usually come from people who dropped big bucks on machines before realizing the truth behind what Dan Kehn says... "It's The Barista, Stupid."
Grabbed a used Super Jolly off the Bay and it is currently en route. There's just too much good press and reviews of these grinders to not own one for my first espresso grinder. Now I'll have to decide on a machine. Pics will be forthcoming.....
You will really like it. take it apart and give it a good cleaning (remove the burrs and remove the dosser). trust me it WILL be stinky (old STINKY coffee grounds everywhere down inside it)
here is a good video that explains how to take it apart, clean it, and find the zero grind setting. Used a sharpie marker to put a zero line on mine.
It is going to come with a WHOPPER 3 lb bean hopper. You can put hoppers from the Mazzer Mini on it to make it more "home friendly" The mini hopper comes in 2 sizes standard and short.
The short hopper lets the grinder fit under standard kitchen cabinets. The standard mini and super hoppers are way too tall to let the grinder go under a cabinet.
Super Jolly hopper: 2.7 lbs (10.5" tall")
Standard Mini hopper: 1.3 lbs (8" tall)
Short Mini hopper: 1 lb (6.25" tall)
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