Espresso Thread

[Guest]

A corner for espresso lovers, with all the geeky tips and tricks for getting a perfect espresso. Since I've got a new machine I came across a number of links that may be helpful to others as well.

For getting started: Al's Rule

Packing techniques



And an interesting graph:

[im_parfait]

I'm a big coffee fan (espresso is not my preference number one though) and here is the most stylish coffee machine I've come accross so far. It's a student concept, and I doubt that the coffee made by this machine is good, but made through a nice device at least :):

[Dane]

Interesting chart...if you're interested in perfume molecules, there is much in common (naturally).

I'm lazy and buy Illy pods...they're like compressed tea bags (with coffee in them of course). Takes all the guesswork out...no measuring, no pressing, easy clean up.

I use this machine...I don't know if it's good, but I've had it for about 10 years and it still works (twas a gift). I like that it doesn't take up much room.

[swrecked]

I'm lazy as well and use a Nespresso machine with pods. It makes really good espresso. Its easy to use and maintain, and pretty compact as well.

I love espresso and am interested to hear about some of the more 'authentic' machines. Always looking for something in that magic quandrant that makes incredible espresso, but is also relatively easy to use and maintain.

[birdytg]

interesting design, im parfait, would be interesting to know how good coffee it gives :)
as for nespresso and such, well it really depends on how much you care about the quality of your espresso. i tried that one, and i find it to taste really bad, better than filter coffee, but worse than a simple Italian moka-pot type :p

I think you really need to try Nespresso again as it seems you have been unkucky.
I am a big fan of expressos and drink much more than a reasonnable number of expressos in a day, every day. I am also a great fan of very strong italian expressos ( "café serré") that Italians make like nobody else in the world.
Nespresso has a wide choice to offer and you can easily find the kind of expresso you prefer. The bad side is that the price is excessive for sure but that's the price to pay to get an easy and efficient machine giving a wide choice and a nice quality.
The other good point of the Nespresso machines is the tiny space they require compared to Italian and French professional percolators.

[Dane]

Can someone explain the difference between espresso and coffee?

[Verdandi]

The main difference is the way espresso is made.
The beans are ground very fine (much finer than in filter coffee) and the brewing technique is different.
You can make espresso from any coffee bean however most espresso blends are roasted darker and more "oily" than beans for normal cofee.

Nespreso is literally the worst caffe I've ever tasted. Even normal filter coffee tastes better to me (and I usually don't drink it, I prefer a macchinetta)

[homilist]

Although I can't attest to it myself, I've heard the use/misuse of a proper grinder makes a huge difference whether making espresso or coffee. The fancy grinders ain't cheap, though. Do you grind at the store or at home, and if so, which grinders are recommended?

[chandler]

I would strongly suggest not using oily beans. You want oils in the coffee not the grounds. you should consider roasting your own beans. It's worth the effort and very economical: 1/2 to 1/3 the price

Rancilio is an excellent grinder and yes the grinder can make a big difference. Better to have a great grinder than machine

As to the question of difference between coffee and espresso, espresso is extracted under pressure

Lastly espresso is most typically a blend and historically was made from lesser quality beans. It is extremely difficult to pull a nice shot with a single origin bean.

In the states I like sweet Maria's for their blends of green coffee beans and roasting equipment and Seattle coffee company for their selection of espresso machines and grinders

[endersgame]

i like my nespresso machine. it's the second most used appliance in my kitchen.

if it's crap, then i guess i love crap coffee, or espresso, or whatever..

[theetruscan]

I think you really need to try Nespresso again as it seems you have been unkucky.
I am a big fan of expressos and drink much more than a reasonnable number of expressos in a day, every day. I am also a great fan of very strong italian expressos ( "café serré") that Italians make like nobody else in the world.
Nespresso has a wide choice to offer and you can easily find the kind of expresso you prefer. The bad side is that the price is excessive for sure but that's the price to pay to get an easy and efficient machine giving a wide choice and a nice quality.
The other good point of the Nespresso machines is the tiny space they require compared to Italian and French professional percolators.

For most Americans, café serré will be better known as ristretto. It has become the norm at the majority of good US coffee shops/espresso shops. I would argue that the Italians, sadly, don't make it nearly as well as a fair number of people over here. They roast their coffee far too darkly, with Italian roast being darker even than french roasts. It tastes like burnt, not like coffee, to me.

For me, Nespresso is a great way to pay > $50/lb for awful coffee, generate huge amounts of unnecessary trash, and drink crap. I drink a lot of espresso, as do a fair number of other people here. I really can't think of any reason someone with a decent taste for coffee roasted less extremely than Italian roast should subject themselves to Nespresso. I've tried it a number of times, and I can't think of anything positive to say about it. I'm happy it suits your needs, but please don't equate stale second rate overroasted often chlorine-"sanitized" coffee grounds loosely packed into a plastic/foil container with freshly ground, well-made espresso.

For anyone visiting SF, both Ritual and Fourbarrel do single-origin espresso through excellent machines.

[jumpoff]

^Amen.

For the same price you are paying for your nespresso pods you could actually buy some of the best coffees in the world. I guess it's convenient, but that's it.

Not a huge espresso drinker myself, being Scandinavian I like my filter coffee.

[Dane]

Thanks for the espresso/coffee difference explanations for us commonfolk. ;)

Can we talk more about grinders and how exactly they make a difference? What are the technical reasons.

I'm enjoying this learning experience. I remember going on a coffee forum at one point, but it was vicious. They made SZ look like a girlscout forum where we talk about our feelings.

[radio-aktivität]

there’ some useful information here already! nice charts, especially the graph ones. i love such scientific approaches to very common things —*i mean, coffee is so simple: brown water that ran through roasted beans.

this is my favourite brand: http://www.gepa-shop.de/index.php/mID/1.1.5.1/lan/de
don’t be confused by the organic/fairtrade stories, these guys work in close collaboration with the local coffee farmers and manufacture very good quality. their »fuego« sub-brand is the best, but can unfortunately only be purchased by gastronomy customers.

rilu, you should try it! they might even deliver to the BeNeLux.

[t-bone]

I think for you this might be especially interesting, Dane, because of the similarity with perfumes :) Good grinding is important for the preservation of the variety of aromas: first, you need a fresh, sufficiently fine and homogeneous coffee powder in order for espresso to be successful. Different grains will require different settings, so you need a grinder which can be fine-tuned to fit both the grains as well as your machine. Also you don't want too much heat to destroy the grains during the grinding process, so what is required is a grinder which can give fine coffee while heating it up as less as possible.

Yeah I think the uniformity of grind and lack of heat generation are the most important aspects of a good grinder. I bought a used Mazzer Super Jolly on ebay when I got my first machine (a PID modified Rancilio Sylvia) and it was cheap compared to a new one. Scour ebay and craigslist for grinder deals, you'll find one eventually. I now use a Rocket Giotto Premium Plus machine and pull a double ristretto for an americano every morning.

I've found that even ground distribution in the basket is pretty important for an even and well-timed pull, and all I need to do to ensure that is use what's called the "Chicago Chop" after dosing the basket. Its just taking the flat back of a knife (it can be concave or convex but for my basket and machine flat works best) and pushing the grounds from one end to the middle, then chopping every millimeter or so to the other end and doing the same in reverse before leveling and tamping. Sometimes i do it in all 4 directions.

Also as far as dialing in grind and tamping go, I find I prefer shots that are ground finer and tamped with less pressure, maybe 15-20lb rather than the standard 40lb. I get less channeling and better crema that way.