The Coffeehouse.... Baristi, Barista, Bariste

[Tim]

52g per cup - that's some serious grunt there fella

Been thinking about different brew methods lately and I think I understand why many espresso drinkers often add milk, they seem to like that punchy flavour hit so it has to be strong coffee if they also like milk? Very imprecise analogy I know, as coffee and how we like can be very complex, as complex as the bean

I prefer it black mostly, but I'm not much of a milk drinker anyway.

Here's an intriguing new product which is tempting me at the moment, the Flair. It's attracted a lot of interest and even the coffee geeks seem to like it. Somewhat fiddly if you just want a quick cup, but nowt to go wrong or break either and you can take it on your travels. A fully manual La Pavoni in some respects? I like it and at £159 it could be a good alternative to an expensive machine, no milk frothing though.



This is pretty.





Retirement, it's one great long coffee break

[struth]

looks good

[Tim]

Good to see that Marco has finally got a burr grinder - it's all in the grind

[struth]

This one looks nice n mean

[Tim]

Currently, I boil the brew water first, in a kettle, then fill the reservoir in the Moka pot up with boiling water, to just under the little valve (was recommended to do that, in order to speed up the brew process). Is that a good idea? Or is the water better going into the reservoir cold, and slowly heating up to temperature, simply by using the burner?

When the pot hits the burner after that, it's on a medium heat, not high, and pretty soon afterwards the coffee starts to trickle out, then turns into a nice steady stream. It never splutters. What would you say should be the average extraction time, from the pot hitting the burner, to the coffee being ready to drink?

Also, at the moment, I don't tamp the grinds at all. I just fill up the basket and tip it gently back and forth, so that the grinds are evenly spread, leaving about an even 2mm gap at the top of the basket (so not quite full).

So do you think I should tamp the grinds a little, or leave things as they are?

Marco.

I used to use a Moka pot Marco and experienced some bitterness to start, but was doing it wrong and found the following helped - YMMV, but it sounds like you're pretty much there.

Even fill, not tamped down

Pre-heated water (always fresh, filtered and first boil) and fill to below the valve, as you do

Place on the hob but not a high heat, medium to encourage a gentle extraction. Off the heat as the extraction starts, some actually cool the base with cold water, but I never bothered. What you don't want is a rapid extraction following a rigorous boil in bottom chamber

Keep the pot spotlessly clean, the old wives tales of a seasoned one are actually true, it does change the flavour of the coffee, but it's not an improvement IMO

Serious coffee is an art and science. I'm a rank amateur but have learned the importance of fresh beans, the ratio of coffee to water, extraction time and water temperature. But the grind should never be underestimated, this is where the money should be invested to get good consistent results. You can play with ratios, water temperatures, have the freshest beans, the perfect extraction and put your coffee through the most expensive espresso machine, but if the grind is poor, the end result will be poor.

I found this comparison interesting and the Rancilio Rocky at around £220 is an entry level grinder. It's not uncommon for coffee geeks to have grinders costing 2/3 times more than their espresso machines - bit like the front end in audio. Doesn't matter how good your amp and speakers are, if your source is poor, it'll sound poor

[struth]

Yup, my machine is not high end but as I use a top hand grinder i get great grind every time, that suit my machine. I would prefer to grind it a little finer but the pump cant handle it so you have to work with what you have.

[struth]

Morning pick-me-up

[Tim]

If there's 26g of coffee in there, it should pick you up

[struth]

If there's 26g of coffee in there, it should pick you up

52gm in there

[struth]

Coffee time again