Espresso Machines

[slbunge]

My real motivation is both ms melkor and I work from home and will be able to make as many drinks as we want during the day. I got a set of the Camardo cups, but I'm also in search of the apparently impossible to find illy alien cups. My only remaing coffee problem is the long wait for my new toys to show up.

You should look here. Of course at the time I write this, the auction has quite a few days left which won't provide the instant satisfaction you crave.

[phaelon56]

Also worth noting - if you'll actually be using the cups and aren't just buying the complete gift box set to save as an unopened "collectible" with value increase potential... wait to find some that are in a set that was opened and missing the can of Illy coffee. The collectors pay a premium for the complete and pristine sets - no need to do that if your['e going to drink from them.

[melkor]

It's almost lunch time and the UPS truck hasn't come to visit yet. At least the tracking info says it will be delivered today. I'll post pics when I get all my stuff (hopefully in a few hours)

[phaelon56]

It's almost lunch time and the UPS truck hasn't come to visit yet.

I feel your pain. I'm about to head out to beautiful downtown Little Rock Arkansas for four days and will be without espresso for the duration. Ouch. Thank goodness for my Melitta one cupper.

[melkor]

The UPS guy finally showed up. Everything is unpacked and setup, and I'm waiting for it to finish warming up. So far this has gone very well, the people at Chris' Coffee have been excellent to deal with and everything (except a backordered tamper) has arrived on time and as described.

I'll post more after it's up to temp and I pull a few shots.

[Marlene]

That looks incredibly complicated

[melkor]

A shot before setting the grind fine enough:

A cappa with less than ideal foam:

The kitchen now looks like....

[jsolomon]

Wow! Your kitchen looks remarkably similar to mine... at least coffee-mess-wise!

Congratulations on the beautiful and functional purchase! Many happy returns!

[Chad]

Damn! I've seen race car engines with fewer moving parts. That's a gorgeous machine, Melkor. Congratulations. The scary thing is, I didn't recognize a single thing in the photos -- except for the Leatherman tool in the last shot. And I can't figure out how to make coffe with that (unless you have a better model than I do ).

Chad

[phaelon56]

The remarkable thing is that these machines (units with that big shiny circular thing known as an E61 grouphead) are really easy to use and to get good results with. They even get less messy once you get accustomed to the routine/ritual of prepping and pulling shots.

Melkor - if you're lacking a tamper just do what many folks are doing on E61 machines - go with 17 or 18 grams per shot, grind a bit finer than you would normally, slightly overfill the basket and give it a slight thunk on your tamping mat (my tamping mat is an old mouse pad turned over). Level it loosely and now lock the portafilter into the machine and pull your shot. The pre-infusion feature of the E61 does the "tamping" for you and the shower screen of the grouphead actually pushes down the grounds. I happen to enjoy the tamping process but some people using machines like this dispense with it altogether.

Also - if the chrome handle on your lever becomes a bit too warm to the touch once the machine has been on for several hours (this may happen) - just get a thin nylon washer that can serve as a spacer between the handle end and the shaft.

[melkor]

This mornings shots are better than yesterdays. The machine has been on since it got here, I had the nice folks at Chris' install their direct connect kit and it's been great not to have to refill the machine. None of the parts I need to touch have gotten anywhere near uncomfortably warm, and I've been using the crappy plastic tamper that came with the machine with reasonably good results.

It's very strange getting used to having this machine in the house, In the past 18 hours or so I've pulled a dozen or so doubles & cappas, made some tea using the hot water spout, and made hot chocolate with the steam wand.

[slkinsey]

It's always fun getting up to speed with a new machine. I remember when I got my Rancilio and I pulled something like 18 shots trying to get the grind right. Well, of course I drank them all... Needless to say, it was a jittery day at casa slkinsey!

[melkor]

Some of the first shots were unbelievably awful - it's amazing how bad espresso tastes when you get a 3oz pour in 10 seconds because the grind is too course. It only took 4 or 5 pulls to get the grind set right, I was really suprised by that.

[CRUZMISL]

Welcome to the world of espresso. I bought my Rancilio S27 about 5 years ago and it still serves me very well. I leave it on 24/7 so it's always ready to go. As you mentioned the plumbing for direct water and drain connection is priceless.

A few things to note. YOU may want to invest in David Schomer's book called Espresso Coffee: Professional Techniques if you have the bread he has videos as well as a fantastic tamper I have been using for the last 5 years too. While your at it order some of his coffee blends. MMMMMMM MMMM yummy. So much crema it's like Guinness in the cup.

click here for the page

Also I noticed you had a thermometer for steaming milk. One technique I have used for years is to discard the thermometer, foam your milk and when the side of the pitcher is too hot too touch, your done. I always keep my 3rd finger on the side of the vessel to monitor temps. Great microfoam with no burnt milk Obviously this will only work with SS pitchers.

Keep us posted on your progress.

[trillium]

My real motivation is both ms melkor and I work from home and will be able to make as many drinks as we want during the day. I got a set of the Camardo cups, but I'm also in search of the apparently impossible to find illy alien cups. My only remaing coffee problem is the long wait for my new toys to show up.

Are you looking for the ones that come in the flying saucer, were limited to 1000 and were only sold in a dept store in ?Paris, or are you looking for the ones released in 2001? Because the more common ones come up on ebay all the time, and I think you can still find them for sale in the UK. They really are fabulous and I swear espresso tastes better when you drink it out of them.

regards,

trillium

[jsolomon]

Okay, I know I'm going to get blasted for this. (don flame retardent suit)

When I was a barristo I didn't use a thermometer to steam the milk. I just went by the sound. There is a definite difference that presents itself quite suddenly. Once the steam stopped screeching and started growling (if I remember correctly) the milk was well steamed/frothed.

[melkor]

I'm happy to use the termometer for now, the problem I'm having at the moment is the 10oz pitcher I have seems to be too small - I've got a 20oz on the way from Chris Coffee for delivery on Friday along with a 58mm tamper.

I think I've found the alien cups - hopefully I'll have a set before the weekend.

At the moment I'm playing with a few different home roasted espresso blends from Sweet Marias, the liquid amber and monkey blends. So far liquid amber is proving to be my preference. The liquid amber shots are about half crema once it settles for a few minutes, they are really amazing (the beans are now 4 days old).

[melkor]

Life is good.

[phaelon56]

Looks really, really good. I can understand the folks who don't use thermometers but I still find it easier to do so. I'm going to start a separate thread on microfoam/frothing and will leave this topic for discussion there. I also prefer Liquid Amber to Monkey Blend but find that I have to roast the LA fairly dark to avoid having underroasted beans in the blend. I think the LA is btter in milk drinks thatn MB but that's strictly personal preference.

[QuinaQuen]

Since when was Starbuck's swill an issue when it comes to drinkable coffee?

If you want to play neolithic, try out Bialetti's new Brikka moka. For $50 to $70, it lays out a ridiculously smoothe demitasse of crema with a little bit of liquid on the bottom for swallerability. Am I the only poor schmuck on this website?

[phaelon56]

Quina - You're not the only person on this website working with a limited budget and by the way.... welcome to the Coffee & Tea forum - great to have you here!

We actually have a thread going already on the very topic you mentioned

The Pleasures of Moka - espresso's poor cousin

Eventually I'll get a moka pot for travel purposes but I love the convenience of an espresso machine for use in the home. Believe me that Egullet has folks on all kinds of budgets and discusssions that cover all bases. I'm one of those people who rarely eats in expensive restaurants, has been known to live on Ramen noodles out of necessity and always looks for the best generic brand of it's available. Financially speaking, the last couple years have been better for me than the previous decades but my purchase of an expensive espresso machine was dictated by a simple fact - I could not find a good shot in any local cafes (NYC area) and was tired of wasting money on swill in my search. The investment has been worth it.

[mojoman]

Anyone with experience?

[Jmahl]

I own one, I love it.

Jmahl