Well you have Starbucks as well (which sadly you have inflicted on the rest of the world).
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Espresso Enthusiasts
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Hey, don't blame me!
And by the way, there would be no Starbucks in the rest of the world if the rest of the world didn't buy from Starbucks.
I give them a wide berth whenever possible.Hey, don't blame me!
And by the way, there would be no Starbucks in the rest of the world if the rest of the world didn't buy from Starbucks.
The thing about Starbucks is that some of the cafés are actually quite nice; some have lovely high ceilings, nice wooden - sometimes, even walnut wood (which I love) floors, wifi, comfortable chairs, and a genuinely attractive ambience.
But, the coffee they serve - and this is the test of a good coffee shop - is invariably bloody awful, as it tends to be stale, bitter, and grossly overpriced.
And their business model - destroying independents, and cannibalising one another - doesn't really appeal, either.
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Not unless that is where your preference lies; personally, it is not something that would interest me.
While I will always have a large glass of water to accompany an espresso, - and a glass of water will be served automatically in many European or Balkan coffee shops - I prefer my coffee, and my espresso, hot.
Not warm, not lukewarm, not cold, but hot. (And few things are more infuriating than the doorbell, or the telephone, ringing most inconveniently, just exactly when I have poured myself a nice cup of lovely steaming hot coffee).
But, the coffee they serve - and this is the test of a good coffee shop - is invariably bloody awful, as it tends to be stale, bitter, and grossly overpriced.
And their business model - destroying independents, and cannibalising one another - doesn't really appeal, either.
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Not unless that is where your preference lies; personally, it is not something that would interest me.
While I will always have a large glass of water to accompany an espresso, - and a glass of water will be served automatically in many European or Balkan coffee shops - I prefer my coffee, and my espresso, hot.
Not warm, not lukewarm, not cold, but hot. (And few things are more infuriating than the doorbell, or the telephone, ringing most inconveniently, just exactly when I have poured myself a nice cup of lovely steaming hot coffee).
I spent some time this evening cleaning, very thoroughly, the Rancilio Rocky grinder. I took it all apart; the hopper, the burrs, the spout and grommet and gave it some TLC. I was able to get all the grounds off every screw, from out of the crevices of the burrs and the threads too. It's all ready for the Intelligentsia beans arriving in a couple of days. I am all out of the Dessert Oasis beans and therefore will be drinking French Press and using the Baratza grinder for the time being.
Also here is a video on how to zero the Rancilio Rocky for anyone who has one, or may get one. This one depicts a doser model, but the one I have is a doserless model. The neat thing about zeroing my grinder this time is that the tick mark I made on the scale the last time I zeroed it, is still the zero mark this time.
Also here is a video on how to zero the Rancilio Rocky for anyone who has one, or may get one. This one depicts a doser model, but the one I have is a doserless model. The neat thing about zeroing my grinder this time is that the tick mark I made on the scale the last time I zeroed it, is still the zero mark this time.
It looks beautifully clean. Quite a job, but definitely worth the time. And a nice job calibrating the baby.
The Rocky must have been pristine clean when you bought it, I'm sure.
Well, pretty clean, anyway.
Actually, there might have been a few bits of grinds.
Aah...maybe better described as cleanish.
Sort of...
It looks beautifully clean. Quite a job, but definitely worth the time. And a nice job calibrating the baby.
The Rocky must have been pristine clean when you bought it, I'm sure.
Well, pretty clean, anyway.
Actually, there might have been a few bits of grinds.
Aah...maybe better described as cleanish.
Sort of...
I heard the previous owner was quite the clean freak. Emphasis on freak.
It looks beautifully clean. Quite a job, but definitely worth the time. And a nice job calibrating the baby.
The Rocky must have been pristine clean when you bought it, I'm sure.
Well, pretty clean, anyway.
Actually, there might have been a few bits of grinds.
Aah...maybe better described as cleanish.
Sort of...
Cleanish may be overstating the condition at receipt of the grinder as I recall it.
Indeed, one would have thought that...
It's my understanding that you might be right.
But also a really delightfully easy going, relaxed, and charming person.
Frightfully handsome, too.
Mighty fine neckbolts, too!It's my understanding that you might be right.
But also a really delightfully easy going, relaxed, and charming person.
Frightfully handsome, too.
I'm pondering an upgrade to my espresso machine. I was looking at the Breville model at the Seattle Coffee Gear website. Does anyone have an opinion on it?
https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/breville-infuser-espresso-machine
[doublepost=1467680648][/doublepost]Here is a beautiful video by Intelligentsia.
https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/breville-infuser-espresso-machine
[doublepost=1467680648][/doublepost]Here is a beautiful video by Intelligentsia.
Great video, @SandboxGeneral - thanks for sharing it, I very much enjoyed watching it, in fact, I would class it as a very useful and easy to follow tutorial.
Thanks for the nifty video. I was particularly impressed with the barista's comments during the first minute of the video.
He expressed my feelings about espresso, and it's preparation, exactly.
The only thing that I noticed about the video that either he didn't do, or wasn't shown, was measuring the amount of coffee to be used. Do you think he, and other barista's just 'wing it' and use whatever they grind and eyeball into the basket?
I'm sure that at his level of expertise, begin eyeball is dosage without measuring it. I certainly had never reached that level of expertise when I was making espresso, but considering that he has been making hundreds of cups of espresso every day for years I'm sure it he can do things that I could never do.
I'd imagine that he is so vastly experienced that he feels pretty confident that he can do it by eye, or by feel.
But, excellent and informative video, and thanks again for posting & sharing it.
Evaluating its operation and output will need to wait for some reviews, but it certainly is beautiful and comes with a great legacy. It is overpriced, but all high-end espresso gear is overpriced. For the past five years or so, it has seemed to me that $2,000 was the sweet spot for a high-end, non-commercial grinder; above that, you are paying for something other than the ground coffee, which of course is entirely acceptable. Maybe the sweet spot has moved up some over the past year....dunno, I have not really looked at grinders over the past year or so.
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Well said!
Four requirements:
1. freshness
2. properly roasted
3. properly made
4. the highest quality water
There is a lot of focus on the gear because, well, it's fun...and visible....and easily seen. But I will take a coffee made by a master using crappy gear over one made by a novice with the world's best gear any morning of the week.
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OK, this got a big laugh....excellent post.
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Ssshhhhhhhhh.
I bought a couple of turkish coffee makers a while back, played with them a bit but could never produce an acceptable cup. Eyeballing the heat, on, then off, then back on, required experience I lack.
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Oh...nicely done! God shot incoming perhaps?
Mmmm, I dunno if the Gaggia Baby Class has the capability, along with my skills to achieve such an end.
I am however looking at upgrading to a better machine and have been emailing Shrink about it this morning. Do you have an opinion on either of these two Rocket machines?
https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/rocket-espresso-giotto-premium-plus-with-pid#product-tabs
or
https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/rocket-espresso-appartamento-espresso-machine
Actually, the funny thing is that I never drink Turkish coffee when I am in Turkey - I usually have espresso and, in Istanbul, they tend to make - and serve - superb espresso.
Their tea, as I may also have mentioned is also excellent, beautifully and elegantly served in a glass with a saucer.
Cue snorted sound of disbelief: This is not a review of a Nespresso machine?
I do not, but I will take a look at it.
Excellent! Thanks for posting. He used the most important word used in the process of making espresso: respect. When an ill-trained "barista" makes push button coffee, there is no respect.
I agree with whatever friend Shrink recommends.
The question, of course, is whether new gear will produce reliably better espresso than your current setup. My view is that when upgrading you should upgrade the weakest link in the chain.
Just to confirm, your current kit is a Rocky + the Baby Gaggia?
PS: I love Rocket machines.....have pulled many, many shots on Rockets over the years.
Yes, The Rocky and Baby Gaggia is what I have right now. My concerns with the Gaggia are the lack of a E61 group head and I'm not sure what is has for a heat exchanger or boiler and would like something proven, powerful and reliable. Plus, I like new toys as well.
Since I've been practicing on pulling just espresso, and no fancy milk-based drinks, my skills are getting better at timing and extraction as well as dialing in the grind setting. However, I really don't have anything to compare my work against, such as a nearby barista who knows what they're doing. So comparing myself with myself isn't really a comparison, other than if I find the taste to be good, I think I'm doing well. Of course if I pulled a shot that I thought was good and you or Shrink tasted it, I might find that I'm not in the ballpark. Of course, this is a different problem aside from upgrading my machine.
Just leaving a marker here.....I will come back to this when I have more time. To no one's surprise, yes, I do have some thoughts.
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What baskets and tamper are you using?
I will assume the coffee is fresh and that you are using good (bottled) water.