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Comments
Giving the group a lever pull to flush doesn't clean the seal .. which causes drops of water to leak from above the top of the PF when pulling the lever down for the pre-infusion. I am now using a small (paint) brush in my routine to wipe around the seal .. which appears to do the trick. I'll have to cut the handle to make it shorter so that it can be used vertically to clean the seal, rather than at an angle. Can's seem to go wrong with either of these Espresso or Barista beans - which is good .. I like 'user-friendly' :P *Sorry Guatemala
> you're fired!
I have been thinking that my ratings have been too high from the start .. and have been rating coffees in the mid & low 8s when I have thought they were pretty ordinary and should have been down in the low 7s. A coffee that rates an 8/10 should be a nice one that I am happy with - say.. receiving in a Cafe for example. Any of my ratings in the 8s in this thread aren't good enough unless they are 8.8 and above.. (almost there) A 9/10 rating is a very nice coffee and 9.4 is impressive .. even though I know they can be better - perhaps with a particular bean that caters perfectly to my personal taste .. so the 9s are where it's at for me in this thread. SUMMARY - Although I have progressed - The Goal is the same (10/10) - only the Goal Posts continually move.. and are always the same distance away from where I happen to be. There you go UNM - ^ that's the short answer lol 8)
Ahhh .. Coffee Heaven is a nice place to be Pour: 1st (almost complete) - 25 secs.. 2nd - 10 secs = 35 secs Shot - 30 ml Rating - 9.5/10 (yep .. cracked the 9.5) Wow .. does it get any better? .. cause it doesn't need to. 8)
Ahhh .. inner-peace and sanity has been restored. :thumb: 17g .. dropped the +3 Pour: 20 secs 1st lever pull and 10 sec 2nd pull = 30 secs Shot - 30ml Rating - 9.3/10 (Silver) Lacked a tad of richness for a 9.4+ rating .. but very nice. I can live with that .. however.. Might have to try tweaking the grind a fraction finer for that Gold Medal cup though? Either that .. or extending the 1st lever pour from 20 to 25 secs? Current thinking is that a total 35 sec pour is perhaps the sweet spot .. according to my taste. *Moon - going for Gold!
With these beans having matured/settled after roasting (it has been about 21 days) .. & becoming stronger (or richer as mycuppa prefers) - I'm finding that the 25 sec 1st extraction along with a short 10 sec 2nd extraction (as in '3' above) is ideal for my taste. i.e. 17g .. polish only - 35 sec total pour - producing 25ml. If not mentioned already .. I leave the steam wand open while the boiler is heating up .. then when it reaches boiling point and the steam starts .. I close the steam knob. This eliminates false pressure when it reaches 1.2 bar .. and the necessity to then bleed it off.. which can take 2 or 3 goes. For the moment .. I am still not locking in the PF until the lever is horizontal to listen for the release of the slight false pressure in the group (haven't always been doing this) I then lock in the PF and complete pulling the lever down for pre-infusion. I'm not waiting the 10 secs for drops to appear .. but raising the lever after 5 secs to facilitate saturation of the grinds .. pull lever down, release .. and watch the clock to time the pour which starts when it drips .. not when the lever is released. There is a 4 sec delay. At times .. drops do appear after say 5 secs, only it is inconsistent and my current belief is that it is better to keep the saturation of the grinds to a minimum prior to pulling the shot. There would be varying views on this .. only for now .. I'm in the 'shorter the better' camp.
It's pretty rare that I would have to make multiple coffees for a group of people .. so I'm happy with the single group machine. i'm single .. but if you have a partner that's also into coffee .. and have people over that like a nice coffee .. I would definitely recommend getting the 2 group machine. What fabulous little coffee machines these Ponte Vecchio Lussos are.. I can see now why once getting one .. owners are so reluctant .. and rarely part with them.
Only have mycuppa 'Espresso' beans left 17g .. Pour was a little quicker .. so perhaps the Espresso beans aren't quite as 'dense' as the Barista beans? Pour: 20 + 10 ( 1st & 2nd lever pulls) = 30ml Rating: 9.1/10 Comment: Compared to the last coffee which was a Barista 75% .. Espresso 25% mix .. I've concluded that I prefer the Barista beans over the Espresso. Perhaps the 30ml pour rather than the previous 25ml played a part?
I have just ordered another kilo of Barista from mycuppa - and a group cleaning brush .. and was thinking about blending some Espresso in with the Barista .. only to get close to the 75 - 25% bean ratio .. I needed only 250g of Espresso .. and it only came in 500g pks .. so I didn't order any of the Espresso. Barista is classed as a 'mild' blend .. and thought by adding some stronger beans into the mix .. it would give my coffees that little lift in flavour that my earlier 9.5/10 cup of coffee had when it had some Espresso beans in the mix. Although I'm leaning towards the mildness of the Barista .. I have felt that for my taste .. it needs that little extra in its punch.. without being a full-on espresso blend. Seeing I only have the Espresso .. and need to wait a week or so after they arrive to settle .. I get some time to play with the Espresso blend to see what I can come up with? I'll probably pick up some other brand of beans during that time just to try a different flavour. I find that a change keeps the taste-buds on their toes .. if tongues have toes .. that is?
Yesterday, Dec 19th was 40 deg 1. Made a coffee late at night. Pour: 1st pull - 10 secs, 2nd pull - 5 secs = 15 secs Shot - 30ml Rating - 7.6/10 This was a sinker, only I drank it - as it was late and couldn't be bothered making another. * i reckon any Coffee rating below 8/10 is sub-par, and anything around 7.5/10 is a sinker. 2. !st for the morning Adjusted grind a fair bit finer due to the fast pour. Pour: 1st pull - 10 secs, 2nd pull - 5 secs = 15 secs Shot - 15 ml Rating - 7.8/10 Way too fast .. the finer grind made no difference and had to hold back the lever spring to try to slow it down a bit. Pretty ordinary, and if I wasn't hanging out for my first coffee .. this would have ended up down the sink. No crema at all. That's 2 shockers in a row. I'm wondering whether these beans have progressed past their sweet period .. and have lost it? Well, either that or I've lost it <--- right up there with the short odds favorites. If it is the beans? .. then in this case - the 'sweet' period started on the 14th and finished on the 19th .. meaning its peak lasted only 5 days? The beans had been placed in a sealed plastic container and stored without opening in a dark cupboard (24 days total after roasting).. I wonder whether yesterdays heat may have shortened the sweet period? The heat may have dried the beans out a bit .. therefore reducing the density from less moisture .. although I would have thought pre-infusion would have restored the lost moisture prior to the shot? *Perhaps someone could enlighten us? .. as I have no idea how long I have to use beans once they have reached their prime? mycuppa has mentioned that hot days speed up the ageing of the beans. If the beans are say - in their prime for roughly 5-7 days - this is too short to use a full kilo of beans, and therefore would have to order smaller quantities more frequently, as I only consume about 300g per week.
We did experience some extreme heat during the week and yes this dramatically degrades the quality of roasted coffee - there may be something in that clue and combined with storage method and maybe timing (it could have been on the older shoulder of peak) it could be a number of factors multiplied that cause a dramatic change between one day and the next. We see it in Specialty cafes all the time - a coffee hitting a memorable peak one day and the next it's just so-so. [/quote] Phew .. this admission changes the odds. Likelihood of it's the n00b (me) getting it wrong down from 99% to 95% Murphy's Law coming into play here - if it can happen .. it will most likely happen to me. No surprise there. It's amazing how often I have a problem with an item I've purchased, and when returning it .. the Salesperson says - ''This is the first time this has ever happened'' .. and I'm standing there thinking to myself .. Wow .. I'm the lucky first.. I must be 'the chosen one'
Brettmate .. feel free to jump in the deep end anytime .. you know .. fortune favors the brave n all that :D
No regrets going for the 'young' Barista beans. N00b to n00b .. I can relate and appreciate that they have some developing to do before blossoming into all their splendour. I'm with you all the way Barista :-*
On a side note. The group cleaning brush that I purchased along with the Barista beans. +ve - looks fine .. +ve - solid construction .. +ve - long bristles.. -ve - bristles way too stiff for this application. Rating 3/10 (harsh but fair) +ve - There must be something else this can be used for - to get some value for my $6.50 investment ::)
STOP THE PRESS ---> Moon has a new Rating System I've decided to go with UNMs (query/hint).. and change my rating system to a more accurate one - based on where I am at the moment. Previous ratings have been much too *generous .. that's the sort a Guy I am :angel: 7/10 - Borderline sinker. Anything below this can compete with a cup of Moccona. In a Cafe .. if after paying $3.50-$4 for one of these flavored milk types (below 7/10) .. I have been known to front up to the counter to ask whether they'd forgotten to put the coffee in? It's not only the feeling of being ripped off by someone who either hasn't got a clue as to what a good coffee is .. or couldn't give a stuff .. for me .. it's more the disappointment of being deprived of the enjoyment that you were looking forward to once deciding to go and get a coffee. If I haven't been in an area before .. I'll pop my head through the door and say .. there's a few Cafes around here .. and I'm wondering who makes the best coffee? Of course they reckon they do.. so once they hand it over, I taste it while I'm inside to make sure it's at least passable .. if too weak .. I'll ask for another shot. I go for the win-win with the happy ending. By them saying they make the best coffee .. I'm getting a satisfaction guarantee. If the first effort doesn't shape up .. they get to try again 8) 7.5/10 - Pretty ordinary.. but in desperate times --> at least drinkable which puts it well above the Mocconas/Nescafe. 8/10 - Is a nice coffee and definitely moving into 'quality' territory. Happy if served up an 8/10 in a Cafe. I'd go back .. but only if there wasn't a better Cafe just up the road. 8.5/10 - This is a really yummy coffee which is about as good as it gets as a takeaway in a Shopping Center Complex. 9/10 - This is what you'd expect from those Espresso Bars that have the 'mature-aged' Italian/Greek/Turkish blokes sitting around a table playing cards with pictures on them. Making a 9/10 is my new Gold standard. It's a ripper mate. 9.2/10 - Hit the Jackpot - my personal top score. Any claims of higher than this and I'd be hallucinating on natural endorphins with a head full of thoughts about winning Australia's next 'Barista of the Year' award. If this happens .. send an ambulance .. I need medical attention. *Includes self-praise