AFF Coffee Thread

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

Ok, I give up. Just what is A2 milk ?

Personally I hate frothy milk (I like a cup FULL of Coffee) but The Dragon Lady says that lite milk froths better than full cream.

http://a2milk.com.au

I dont like full froth either. I just like the tiny tiny bubbles which resemble a silky smooth consistency thats usually poured into the cup. The airy, fluffy stuff is just that, and not the stuff I want in my cup.

I prefer to filter the milk when I pour with a spoon to get the silkier stuff out. Anyone who is decent at frothing and pouring can pour without the need of a spoon though.

[noddy383]

Originally Posted by MAGPIE

Never heard of this, tell us more it sounds interesting.

It's stupidly easy.

You put:
250g of coarse ground beans (I use a nice dark roast)
1 litre cold tap water
In a sealed container (I use a Sistmema from the supermarket) and leave in the fridge for 24 hours.

The next day:

I pour the contents through a chux cloth to remove most of the residual grounds into another Sistema container.
From there I filter it (while sitting watching something good on TV) through filter paper into some 100mL bottle I have. I find 100mL into a big glass of chilled FC milk creates a good strong beverage.

The filtering can be a little time consuming, but it isn't hard, so I sit in front of the telly and watch something more interesting.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by noddy383

It's stupidly easy.

You put:
250g of coarse ground beans (I use a nice dark roast)
1 litre cold tap water
In a sealed container (I use a Sistmema from the supermarket) and leave in the fridge for 24 hours.

The next day:

I pour the contents through a chux cloth to remove most of the residual grounds into another Sistema container.
From there I filter it (while sitting watching something good on TV) through filter paper into some 100mL bottle I have. I find 100mL into a big glass of chilled FC milk creates a good strong beverage.

The filtering can be a little time consuming, but it isn't hard, so I sit in front of the telly and watch something more interesting.

I can see two problems here......

#1 "watching something good on TV"...
When did that start happening?

#2 "so I sit in front of the telly and watch something more interesting"
More interesting than watching a Coffee filter.......... that's debatable

[prydey]

the amount of froth is related to how much you 'stretch' the milk near the beginning of the process. you shouldn't need a spoon or knife when you pour, as the milk should all be the same texture. when you finish texturing bang the jug on the bench a couple of times to collapse any bubbles and then swirl it around to make sure its all mixed together.

i use skim milk. full cream tastes better but can't be bothered buying different milks and the mrs likes lite milk so i just do as i'm told.... mostly

Originally Posted by MAGPIE

I have had a Breville BES860

generally its always best to have a separate grinder, as heat is the enemy of beans.

[hendrixhc]

Skim milk is supposedly the milk of choice for frothing and i have also been told that Longlife milk is the best due to its consistency of quality and is not subject to seasonal changes.

In relation to pod coffee. 2 pods is sufficiently strong for a 10oz mug. Depends what blend pod you use of course!

[MAGPIE]

Originally Posted by prydey

generally its always best to have a separate grinder, as heat is the enemy of beans.

So I hear, the beans don't seem to get any heat transfer from the machine but I never leave the machine on longer than I need to so that would help, that and my kitchen is like a fridge 9 months of the year.

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by MAGPIE

So I hear, the beans don't seem to get any heat transfer from the machine but I never leave the machine on longer than I need to so that would help, that and my kitchen is like a fridge 9 months of the year.

Im the same, I find there is no heat transfer between the machine and the hopper in my machine. I always turn it off after I make cups of coffee.

[noddy383]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

I can see two problems here......

#1 "watching something good on TV"...
When did that start happening?

#2 "so I sit in front of the telly and watch something more interesting"
More interesting than watching a Coffee filter.......... that's debatable

Fair call, it was simpler to explain than the amusing and silly decision-making process required to pick a DVD.

[Whitey-AMG]

Have a sunbeam EM 6910 that I will be replacing as it's beginning to break down with leaks from pump etc.
Been a good entry level machine but gives inconsistent results as it has no PID so the temp does fluctuate.

Anyways , thinking of getting a breville BES920 dual boiler machine. The Italian and Spanish machines are great but beyond my budget. I'm a fan of the expobar minore but $$$$ way beyond me at the minute.

Anyone here have the breville BES920 - thoughts , experiences ?

[prydey]

i have the em6910 also, which has served me well for a few years now. for the price, its pretty good value for the home barrista who wants a machine with dual thermoblock/boiler.

my brother has the bes900 which i have used and it is a pretty good machine. being a boiler instead of thermoblock, the steamer is better. temp display and shot clock are handy as well as other programable functions.

not sure what the 920 gets over the 900, but you'd be hard pressed to find a better machine for the price. like you say, the equivalent euro machines are much dearer, and aren't necessarily going to produce much better results.

if you have the dosh, the breville dual boiler is a good step up from the em6910. its much quieter too, although has a fair bit bigger footprint.

[Whitey-AMG]

The deal with the Breville BES920 at the moment gets the BCG820 Grinder thrown in as well.

The Grinder I reckon is where its at. I hope that it grinds fine enough and has good consistency. The Sunbeam grinder I have at the moment which came with the EM6910 isnt too bad. Its the Cafe series EM0500.

Nothing worse than a good machine let down by bad grinder.

[prydey]

i have the bcg 800 grinder. before that i had the em0480. the smart grinder is streets ahead.

the grind steps are much closer together, so you can really fine tune your pour, it doesn't make a mess and has dose control. being able to dose consistently is half the battle.

the bcg 820 and bes920 would be a great combination.

[Whitey-AMG]

Did you find that you had to shim the BCG800 ? Does it grind fine enough for espresso.

[prydey]

yes, i had to shim my bcg800. its a bit hit and miss. my brother also had one and no shims required. its no big deal though. breville's service is fantastic. if you find you need shims, just email them or contact them, and they send you out a packet of varying thicknesses (basically just washes) for free. instructions included. takes literally 5 minutes.

i use merlo beans. normally the setting is under the R in esspresso (which is about halfway in the range). occasionally i buy from a local roaster, which requires a finer grind, but still within the maximum.

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by prydey

yes, i had to shim my bcg800. its a bit hit and miss. my brother also had one and no shims required. its no big deal though. breville's service is fantastic. if you find you need shims, just email them or contact them, and they send you out a packet of varying thicknesses (basically just washes) for free. instructions included. takes literally 5 minutes.

i use merlo beans. normally the setting is under the R in esspresso (which is about halfway in the range). occasionally i buy from a local roaster, which requires a finer grind, but still within the maximum.

I'll second this, my old Brevell machine is now 12 years old and its a bit like granpas ax in that theres very little of the orginal machine left

but these guys just keep the parts and send them out as required the cost is great and the service is briliant

[trentski]

Originally Posted by Bluey-GT

Anyone here have the breville BES920 - thoughts , experiences ?

I pulled a few shots on the BES920 when it was first released and I'm a fan, won't be selling my Giotto for one though . The smart grinder is the best in its price bracket and a good match for the 920.

You could always sell the smart grinder and put the money towards a Kompak K3 or better.

[mik]

Crikey you car enthusiast blokes making modifications to your coffee machines , i hope these are rta approved !
On a serious note, I get a good cuppa at the pancake parlor, just finished a double shot cuppacino at spuntinos at epping shopping centre ..... Hmmm very nice.

[Whitey-AMG]

Originally Posted by trentski

I pulled a few shots on the BES920 when it was first released and I'm a fan, won't be selling my Giotto for one though . The smart grinder is the best in its price bracket and a good match for the 920.

You could always sell the smart grinder and put the money towards a Kompak K3 or better.

Picked up the machine and grinder on Friday last week
Still working on getting the grind and tamp right.
So far - pulling 30sec espresso shots and the taste is quite good. Still a little bit thin and lacking some sweetness - so I'm still working on it.
So far so good though and the machine and the grinder are high quality gear. All the testing and tasting in the last couple of days has made me HYPER - I've finished all the odd jobs round the house and washed the GT like 3 times in 3 days........

[DBourne]

Then that probably isn't "sugar" you've added ;)

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by Bluey-GT

All the testing and tasting in the last couple of days has made me HYPER - I've finished all the odd jobs round the house and washed the GT like 3 times in 3 days........

Hmm, Red Bull would probably be quicker and cheaper to get those jobs done

[Whitey-AMG]

Getting better !
Grind 9 on the smart grinder at 9.8 second dose.
Light tamp and straight onto the BES920.
Pouring at just over 9 bar pressure and just starting to thin out at the 30 second duration.

Some nice oils coming through, good crema and some natural caramelly sweetness.
Still got a while to go before I get to a really good espresso , but making good progress.

Making our local coffee shops look rather bland in comparison now..... This is bad as I may never be satisfied with "regular " coffee again.

[XR6TCraig]

Originally Posted by trentski

You could always sell the smart grinder and put the money towards a Kompak.

Mazzer mini FTW! lol

Love the fact that we have a coffee thread on the site. Love coffee so much that I have invested quite a bit of cash in my brewing equipment.

I own a Vibiemme Super Domobar and Mazzer mini combo which I have owned for about 7 years now. I go through about 1kg a month, which is pretty good considering I'm away from home with work 14 days a month.

A good grinder is the key to a good coffee. A mid range machine with a good quality grinder will make a consistantly better brew than a big dollar machine and a cheap grinder, or no grinder.

I bought my machine over a less expensive one because it is actually easier to use than a breville or sunbeam ( no need to temp surf) and it can bang out coffee after coffee very consistently. I have actually done coffee for 20 people on it at a family gathering. That's just not something you can do on the average home espresso machine without having to wait, temp surf and basically drive yourself nuts!

Machines like this also tend to keep their value very well, so if ever needed to sell it, id get most of my money back if I sold it on coffeesnobs. It's more like owning a car than an appliance in some aspects. It gets serviced, parts are readily available and it's a bit of a hobby playing around with it.

It's an interest, dare I say it, a passion. Some people think I'm nuts for investing so much $$ in the quest for a good coffee, but I don't smoke and rarely drink. They usually do both! Lol

[Whitey-AMG]

See , that's the cool thing with the new double boiler breville ,the 920 has two PIDs 1 on the brew boiler and 1 on the group head element , which keeps the temperature within 1 deg of where it is set. No temp surfing , so it's consistent with its extraction.

Agreed on the grinder , a good grinder is half the battle. The other half is split between a good machine and a good bean!

I'm lucky , I get freshly roasted beans in small batches from a family member that's in the retail business and I seldom have the beans for more than 4-5 days. I have found that week old beans make the grind more difficult to gauge, only splitting hairs here , but it does make a difference.

Looking forward to getting a naked portafilter soon ..... Cos I like to watch....

Hey for those that haven't seen one in action - have a looky here. It's basically coffee PORN. Portafilter with the bottom cut off so you can see the extraction process. Nice syrupy , caramelly , oily freshly extracted coffee.
http://youtu.be/v0neqoGfbj8

[XR6TCraig]

I buy beans in small quantities from a local roster. Usually 250gm at a time which is less than a week's supply at our house.
They are always less than a week from roast date when I pick them up and I have even bought them on the roast date.

[XR6TCraig]

Originally Posted by Bluey-GT

Agreed on the grinder , a good grinder is half the battle. The other half is split between a good machine and a good bean!

I would add the dummy pulling the lever or pushing the buttons into that split. If you can't consistently dose, tamp and adjust your grind based on what you are seeing, the rest is going to struggle. It's not hard once you gave the basics sown but not everyone can make a good coffee regardless of the equipment at hand! Lol

[SSD-85]

Given how impractical it is to have caffeine delivered intravenously, any old wake-up juice does it for me

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Bluey-GT

Looking forward to getting a naked portafilter soon ..... Cos I like to watch....

yes, agree. coffee porn.

[hendrixhc]

The idea of the naked filter is so you dont get interaction of the extraction with the metal component of the handle and contaminants of previous coffee extractions distorting the flavour.

[trentski]

Originally Posted by hendrixhc

The idea of the naked filter is so you dont get interaction of the extraction with the metal component of the handle and contaminants of previous coffee extractions distorting the flavour.

First time I've heard that reason given, something seriously wrong with your beans if they are leaching the metal

You use a naked portafilter to see that your grind distribution, dose and tamp are all good. It's a visual guide to the quality of the extraction, you can see if you are over-extracting on one side of the basket due to an uneven tamp, for example.

Originally Posted by Bluey-GT

I'm lucky , I get freshly roasted beans in small batches from a family member that's in the retail business and I seldom have the beans for more than 4-5 days. I have found that week old beans make the grind more difficult to gauge, only splitting hairs here , but it does make a difference.

That is lucky, I roast my own beans and find that before about 5 or 6 days post roast they haven't developed much flavour, so much so I don';t touch them until at least 5 days from roast date. Sometimes they are really hitting their stride out towards three weeks, if they last that long.

Try and manage some beans so you can taste how their flavour profile develops over a 3 week period, you might find you're not getting the best from them by drinking them so fresh.

[danzvtil]

Crikey, where do I start? I was gifted a Breville 800 Cappuccino Maker a few years ago, going to the local continental supermarket, or even better, the Coffee Bean Shop at the Central Market is always a joy. I started going for the strongest espresso flavours but now have mellowed to a mid strength Blue Mountain Blend.
I too get hyper on the stuff and am known to do all the housework and odd jobs just to get rid of the excess mental energy.
I am also known to start yelling at other drivers once ive been on coffee for longer than week straight, so, I have to pace myself!