Oof that’s quite the mess, what does grinding the coffee too fine do? What would happen if the coffee wasn’t ground enough?
In that next post with that nice coffee setup I thought for a second that that was an actual street view and thought damn that’s a nice view lol, still nice pic to go behind that setup. I also know it’s not but that espresso machine looks like it’s a commercial/industrial machine. And holy shit $20 000, that’s quite an investment, that person clearly is a lover of coffee for a long time I’d assume. That’s a really nice and clean setup.
My understanding is that the fine grind made it hard for the water to get through the compressed “puck” (the tamped coffee in the portafilter), and the problem was made very acute by his pulling too hard/fast, raising the pressure very high in the group head. When no liquid came out of the bottom of the portafilter, he then made the terrible (but somewhat understandable) mistake of unlocking the portafilter, which allowed the pressurized water & coffee to spray everywhere.
If the coffee were ground too coarse, the water would pass through it too quickly, producing what the espresso folk call “a sink shot” (a shot of espresso that’s so bad, you dump it in the sink ) – weak, under-extracted and way off-taste. Here’s a guide I found on how to adjust things based on taste:
I know, that picture is absolutely perfect isn’t it?
Actually, the Leva IS a commercial machine: that’s the single-group version, but it also comes in 2- and 3-group versions so a barista in a cafe can make several drinks at once. Most people won’t spend that kind of money on an espresso machine, but if you read the forums I’ve been reading for the past couple of weeks, you’ll find that there are more than a few people who have very high end machines like that.
The machine above starts just under $10,000 US, and that’s before any customization, such as the exotic woods and highly polished metal surfaces. I’m pretty sure it’s easy to double the cost by the time you’ve designed your dream machine on their web site!
One more example which is pretty much at the opposite end of the spectrum with regard to aesthetics and approach … this machine is designed by – and for – espresso-obsessed people:
This machine is completely computer-controlled and thoroughly packed with sensors allowing the barista to adjust basically everything about the machine’s function: water temperature & pressure during all phases of the pull, the times of which can be adjusted as well. And the interface is through an app on the tablet mounted on the machine!
Ah ok so that does explain the price
And look. That slayer machine is so nice with those bits of wood and you can design your own slayer machine on their site too, damn that’s cool.
That computer controlled one looks alright but seeing these commercial machines they just look better, but for the prices yea these sleek ones are probably cheaper when compared to base $10000 machines.
Omg, imported water for the best brew, I wonder what the smell/taste of such a coffee brewed from such fine ingredients and precise prep would be like? I can only imagine it smells beyond fantastic, I’m rather jelly now lol
Today’s little project was to add under-cabinet lighting to the coffee area: I bought a Hue Smart Lightstrip Plus and used some Command Outdoor Light Clips to mount it below the cabinet. The Hue strip was long enough (2 m) to wrap almost the whole way round the underside, giving the light a nice even quality. It’s connected to my smart home system, so it works with voice control, etc.
I needed more counter space (and storage space) for my growing collection of coffee equipment, so I found this neat kitchen cart at Wayfair. I ended up putting it next to the counter to the right of the coffee area, effectively extending it another 2.5 feet to the right. There’s a drawer (which hasn’t been installed in the pic above) in addition to the cabinet (behind the doors). Perfect!
I stepped up my grinder game today with the arrival of my Mahlkönig E65S GbW. (The “GbW” means that it weighs the amount of coffee it’s grinding and stops at whatever weight you set. In the picture above, it’s set for 18 g, which is the “standard” weight for a double shot of espresso.)
I just saw the cabinet and thought portable coffee station lol.
Seeing as you have all your coffee equipment in one spot, in the second pic on the right next to your new grinder, what is that piece of equipment?
Oh also since your cart matches the black counters you have in your kitchen, maybe get some like marble top vinyl/adhesive stuff so the counter matches the top too
So that neat little device is designed to help you quickly weigh individual doses of coffee beans. It has a small hopper on top into which you place the beans, and the bottom platform is actually a precision scale. You set the weight you want (here it’s set for 18 g), and the machine will drop beans out of the chute underneath the hopper until it reaches the desired weight.
It’s completely unnecessary, as you can do exactly the same thing with a coffee scale, but it’s so cool and elegant I had to have it.
These are the containers I bought to store single doses of beans for espresso. They have a one way valve at the top to allow oxygen to escape as the beans off-gas CO2 as they age.
Here is the whole coffee area as of this morning before I get started with my morning ritual I’ve got the computer set to turn on the lights before I get up so the place looks inviting. (It only turns them on if I’m home.)
Oh a precision scale dispenser, the tubes next to that in the second pick make it look like a lab setup lol, can also see you coffee grinder was too tall to fit in the designated coffee space.
Your coffee set up gonna look like a lab eventually, a lab dedicated to the science of perfect coffee making, I wanna see a cafe that looks like a lab now lol
I know what this does for once! It’s for pressing down the coffee once it’s been ground already, you do so when you are tamping the coffee.
Or is it? I’m questioning it now since you said espresso accessories
You know what’s funny, I actually saw this coffee machine on ad, can’t remember if it was while at shops or on a YouTube vid, but I saw it and was like “I wonder if hazel would get this?” I also wondered how much it was lol
So the big red thingy is a Linea Mini espresso machine made by La Marzocco! It’s a double boiler (a separate boiler for espresso and for steam) design, and I just love it! I’m still learning to make espresso, but of all the shots I’ve pulled, only 1 was actually undrinkable (an infamous “sink shot” – so called, because after tasting it, you pour it in the sink ).
I had La Marzocco customize my Linea Mini with walnut knobs, group cover, and group handle. (The portafilter handle was supposed to be walnut also, but they accidentally sent me the wrong one – a replacement is on the way!) It also has an upgraded steam wand, which is insulated to prevent burns. I replaced the drip tray cover with one that holds an Acaia Lunar scale, so I can time & weigh shots as I pull them, which is really important for quality and consistency.
You’re right! In the picture, the stuff to the right of the machine includes a tamping station (with the wooden handled tamper sitting on top), a tamp mat, a circular distribution device (to spread the ground coffee evenly around the portafilter), and in the back, a knock box for getting the bulk of the coffee out of the portafilter once you’ve extracted the espresso.
It’s actually quicker to pull a couple of shots of espresso than it is to make filter coffee in the morning, which is really surprising to me.
My next mission is to try to figure out how to steam milk properly. I tried once, and it was a miserable failure – probably in part because all I had at the time was 1% milk. I really want to try making cappuccino!
Oh didn’t know it was a custom machine, it definitely looks nice, and you got a red cup to match already (unless that came with the machine cuz it matches quite well). I imagine for espresso shots that yea you’d definitely want to be precise with those.
Seems shots of espresso are quick in more ways than one lol. Steaming milk, that’s interesting, I’ve always wondered how that’s done but never gotten around to looking into it. So steaming milk involves part milk and part something else?
I’m just tickled with those – they are from I.P.A. Industria Porcellane S.p.A. and are actually designed for commercial use but are nice enough for the home as well. They’re made in Milan, and I bought them from the US importer, Great Infusions. They do indeed match my red Linea Mini very well!!!
) – weak, under-extracted and way off-taste. Here’s a guide I found on how to adjust things based on taste:
I needed more counter space (and storage space) for my growing collection of coffee equipment, so I found this neat kitchen cart at Wayfair. I ended up putting it next to the counter to the right of the coffee area, effectively extending it another 2.5 feet to the right. There’s a drawer (which hasn’t been installed in the pic above) in addition to the cabinet (behind the doors). Perfect!
I’ve got the computer set to turn on the lights before I get up so the place looks inviting. (It only turns them on if I’m home.)
In the picture, the stuff to the right of the machine includes a tamping station (with the wooden handled tamper sitting on top), a tamp mat, a circular distribution device (to spread the ground coffee evenly around the portafilter), and in the back, a knock box for getting the bulk of the coffee out of the portafilter once you’ve extracted the espresso.