Espresso Enthusiasts

[Scepticalscribe]

Heating up the mug for a cup of Costa Rican.

Ah, yes. Do enjoy.

The pleasant and agreeable ritual of preparing the coffee includes the simple act of heating the mug.......one that I find I derive great pleasure from when I am home......

 

[0388631]

No, I don't love "exploding head syndrome" at all.

Rather, I love "sleepy head syndrome" except when I have to drag myself from slumber at some godforsaken hour.

I was being sarcastic. Ah, yes, I dislike that, too. Especially the groggy feeling and the extreme confusion.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I was being sarcastic. Ah, yes, I dislike that, too. Especially the groggy feeling and the extreme confusion.

Oh, dear.

Sarcasm don't cross cultures or translate well online.

Tragedy does, however.

 

[0388631]

Having more of that SO Peruvian.

I'm dead tired at the moment and suspect the large carafe I've made won't help. Spent all day play with the kids apart from grilling lunch. Read to them, we watched a little Planet Earth and I paused to explain, practiced our alphabet, did a little reading, and taught, well, tried to teach them some footy skills.

Think I'll have an early night.

Oh, dear.

Sarcasm don't cross cultures or translate well online.

Tragedy does, however.

Ah, yes, indeed. We're coming up on the one year mark of one soon.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Having more of that SO Peruvian.

I'm dead tired at the moment and suspect the large carafe I've made won't help. Spent all day play with the kids apart from grilling lunch. Read to them, we watched a little Planet Earth and I paused to explain, practiced our alphabet, did a little reading, and taught, well, tried to teach them some footy skills.

Think I'll have an early night.

Ah, yes, indeed. We're coming up on the one year mark of one soon.

Planet Earth sounds good - do enjoy.

Well, I have had some serious Manzanilla - while writing a speech/points to take/speaking notes....for my boss.

Serious thought - too much serious thought (because I am supposed to be on leave) went into this earlier today, but, I shall dispatch it and request an appropriate response in due course.

 

[Lioness~]

Do the pucks crumble in the catch bin or did you not pay attention to them? Regardless, I'm interested in how they say together. I usually dry my pucks out and then spray a natural homemade glue and then dust it with sawdust from my home shop, which I collect and keep. I use these as starters during the winter for the fireplaces or when I BBQ or smoke meat for several hours. It's far better than liquid fuels. And if you have acid loving plants, throw them in the garden. They'll reap the initial acid, but once it decomposes and worms eat and digest them, it delivers nutritious castings, which is possibly the best manure you'll ever use. Plus, no smell.

The Pucks....I'm trying to investigate & am not entirely sure about this yet.

But it seems like it becomes 1 PUCK even if I choose double aroma choice. I have yet to try a few more options & variations to be completely sure of it. As it seemed to be different results when I started to check this out...
Some programs seems to make them harder & some other looser. Have no clue about that for now

LOL. Enjoy. Yes, even with my semi-automatic, every small variable delivers a new experience. Espresso machines are toys for adults. In regard to Siemens, they're a very old company. When I was a wee little lad, my grandfather spoke of his father (my great grandfather) and how he owned Siemens equipment. My father has some of that stuff in storage, including several glass tube radios. Still works today.

Yes, they are generally popular. But I'm not so sure if they are that in general 'espresso' environments.
A guy in a coffee-shops/store that sells/repairs espresso machines wasn't so positive & couldn't help with service. Not even when the machine is out of warranty. Siemens are to be called and they pick it up, and return it.
Pretty inexpensively, but anyway.

Are you saying that a full super auto comes with an internal tank for milk? That's not quite accurate. Internal vs. external is user preference, and most companies make both types. The external tank is great, as you said, if you only make 1-2 drinks a day. You can store the tank in the refrigerator. The internal tank is good if you're making a lot of drinks, and thus, internal tanks are often bigger. Though I'm not aware if any machines use a compressor and refrigerant to keep dairy cold or non-dairy, if you're using almond, soy or cashew milk.

Yup, Siemens newest have internal milk tank, ah well, you have too be able to take it out and fill it up I assume.
That's why I stayed with this EQ7 modell. I rather have a little milk-container or glass with milk beside for the machine to suck up and 'steam/warmUp out' in the milk option I choose.

Yes, as I said, espresso machines are like toys for adults. How many presets can you save?

Every option of the different kinds of single/double espressos/double/caffe crème/machiato/cappucino etc. have 1 setting on top. So it's not like having presets.
It's more compared to have maps on a Mac with treads and undermaps.
I click me down and change if I wan't a bigger/smaller size of cup, more/less strength etc. It's a lot of settings below each option.
And very easily changed and experimented with too, so it's easy to have fun with the machine

Yeah, I see. It makes cleanup easier. How do you clean this machine?

It's a few different cleaning programs.
Milk cleaning that you do every time you used it, of course to not clog up the system.
Then there's calc'n & clean and simple cleaning programs.

That's a steal. I read a few reports on their machines and apparently they're as good if not better than Jura's product. And those are expensive machines.

Yes, I like them...good tech & quality, as in all Siemens products, as you say.
Might try something different next time. Who knows...

 

[0388631]

Panamanian Lerida Pacamara, pressed. Oh my.
[doublepost=1506312485][/doublepost]Having another cup of the above bean with cream this time. Turned into a beautiful reddish tawny color. Absolutely beautiful color. This one goes on the redorder list. Tastes fantastic plain. Deeper flavors are mellowed by the cream, while some raw sugar brings out the naturally light and sweet notes of the coffee.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

A mug (LC) of delicious Ethiopian coffee by my hand, as I write. Divine.

 

[0388631]

Mug of chamomile with a tiny amount of honey.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Mug of chamomile with a tiny amount of honey.

Chamomile tea, I assume? With a little honey, it can be lovely. Do enjoy.

 

[0388631]

Chamomile tea, I assume? With a little honey, it can be lovely. Do enjoy.

Yes, but preserved chamomile flowers is a thing, often with fruit. Thank you, I will.

 

[JamesMike]

The hot milk and honey is ready for my cup of Kenyan coffee.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

The hot milk and honey is ready for my cup of Kenyan coffee.

Hot milk and honey? With Kenyan coffee? That sounds delicious. Do enjoy.

Now that I am home - for a while - I must try it.

 

[Watabou]

Trying out a darker roast than my previous coffee. It's this one.

Smokier, earthier and more full bodied than the Blue Bottle Hayes Valley Espresso blend (my previous coffee beans), resulting in a pretty strong cappuccino. Not sure if I like it over the Blue Bottle as that was more balanced overall.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Trying out a darker roast than my previous coffee. It's this one.

Smokier, earthier and more full bodied than the Blue Bottle Hayes Valley Espresso blend (my previous coffee beans), resulting in a pretty strong cappuccino. Not sure if I like it over the Blue Bottle as that was more balanced overall.

In recent years, I have come to realise that my preference is now for lighter roasted coffees.

 

[mobilehaathi]

In recent years, I have come to realise that my preference is now for lighter roasted coffees.

I also prefer the taste of lighter roasts, and as a bonus they tend to be more caffeinated too.

 

[0388631]

I like to go from light to dark to light to dark and so on every so often. I find it keeps my taste buds on their toes. More importantly, I don't become overwhelmed with the heaviness present in darker roasts. I sometimes opt for super light roasts that are sweet enough to drink plain. They taste mildly sweet to me, but it could all be in my head.

Drink of the moment: Kenya AA, pressed.

 

[Watabou]

In recent years, I have come to realise that my preference is now for lighter roasted coffees.

Maybe I need to give lighter roast a real shot again, but to me they always seem too bright and sour.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Maybe I need to give lighter roast a real shot again, but to me they always seem too bright and sour.

Not the African ones (i.e. Kenyan and Ethiopian); they are light, bright, 'clean', clear, and usually somewhat sweet and smooth, too.

 

[JamesMike]

Speaking of Kenyan, time for a cup from the LC.

 

[Lioness~]

I like the dark roasted mostly. Some medium too.
When I roasted my own green beans, as darker as better without being burnt, is my taste

 

[0388631]

First hybrid cocoa of the season. We didn't have any decent chocolate on hand. We had some bitter baker's chocolate, which I slowly melted in a double boiler, some lovely cocoa powder, some cacao butter chunks that were still fresh, and some whole fat organic milk. We opted to go half because of the excess fat from the cacao butter. Six ounces of the mixture in mugs and the rest topped with hot water. Still fairly viscous and rich.

Oh, yes, sweetened with moscovado sugar. Which is the only decent sugar we had on hand. Plus, it brings out the notes in the cocoa and the chocolate.

but to me they always seem too bright and sour.

Bright and sour are different. Bright is bright whereas sour is sour. It's difficult to explain. Generally, South American beans are bright to a point. However, the terra nature of Colombia results in both bright and sour beans. SA beans are processed more or less using the same method. However, Colombian beans simply contain more acidity compared to say a Guatemalan or Panamanian or a chocolate-bright Mexican bean. I've found that to truly enjoy a Colombian without being overwhelmed by its sour acidity is to go to Vienna or darker roast.

Additionally, as Colombians offgas, they become more acidic, in my experience. Best to drink them as fast as you can. Now give me a city roast or cinnamon roast of Costa Rican, plain, and I could speak for hours about that particular batch's qualities. Also, it's a way of plying more of the beans from you.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

About to prepare an Ethiopian coffee.

 

[JamesMike]

About to prepare an Ethiopian coffee.

I think I will join you. The smell always brings back good memories of Ethiopia.

 

[0388631]

You were stationed there, James?

Will be drinking Klatch's "Out of Africa" blend. A blend of three single origins from Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda. Can't wait. Off to find a digestive biscuit.