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I imagine this has been covered somewhere in the 340 pages but there's also an awful lot of results in search for 'milk'. I have one of these but the pump has died out of warranty so I'm about to receive one of these. Reviews mention the automatic milk foaming/texturing thing being really good so it got me thinking about whether I have been sabotaging my efforts when I've been using semi-skimmed milk (1.7% fat). How much of a big deal is this when it comes to milk texture?
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Jun 10, 2020 13:15
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kemikalkadet posted:FWIW the Sage you linked has a proper steaming tip vs. the training wheels one on the DeLonghi. It's much more capable at getting latte art quality foam but takes a bit of practice to get the technique down. With the Delonghi you just shove the tip into the milk and you get foam but you don't have any control over the texture. I got it today and this made all the difference, with semi-skimmed milk. I'd seen in reviews that the automatic milk texturing on this one was good and when I made my first one it was like I'd had at decent coffee places, miles ahead of my last machine.
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Jun 11, 2020 19:47
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other people posted:Man i have a bambino too and i like it but i have one consistent issue: I don't know what you're doing wrong but I have only used it twice and not had either of those issues. Filled the portafilter and used that 'razor' thing to level it off and the flow was fine, had the milk thing set on medium temperature medium foam and it was lovely and velvety. I am not in love with the automatic steam wand purge, it splatters milky water everywhere.
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Jun 12, 2020 11:29
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I have a manual burr grinder and a Sage Bambino Plus machine. Should I be using the single walled or double walled portafilter?
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Aug 19, 2020 10:58
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kemikalkadet posted:If you can get a good 2:1 extraction with the single walled then use that (e.g. 18 grams of coffee in, 36 grams of liquid out in ~25-30 seconds). You'll probably find that you're getting way too much liquid out too quickly and under-extracting, in which case use the pressurised one. Thanks for this. Regardless of what kit I've got, I think that what you outlined is outside my capabilities so I will stick with the pressurised one. With improvements in gear and ability, does a pressurised portafilter place a ceiling on quality?
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Aug 19, 2020 20:46
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Perhaps the fine people of this thread can tell me if the following is a bad idea: I have a Sage Bambino Plus, it's alright. I recently saw some videos featuring the La Pavoni Europiccola manual espresso machine and I like the idea of it. Would it be silly of me to get one, along with a decent grinder? I'm UK based and they appear to be available for around £500. What I like: - They seem simple - How they're described as lasting decades with proper maintenance - this is the main draw - That they've got a milk steamer (otherwise I'd just get a manual espresso maker without a hot water source) - The idea of practising and getting good What I don't know: - How much I'd need to spend on a grinder - I presently have an old wall-mounted burr grinder and a Hario hand grinder. With the comments in the OP I'd be confident neither are suitable. - If decent espresso would be out of reach for someone with no experience, but who doesn't mind putting some work in - How much work it is to clean, to maintain, and how often - I saw a video on maintenance and it was pretty much a full teardown, I don't know how necessary that is - Would any modifications be needed or strongly advised?
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Oct 29, 2020 12:50
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Gunder posted:Give this a watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKimj0vRM5A That was the video in which I first came across it, the one that gave me the idea.
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Oct 29, 2020 21:11
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Jestery posted:As much as I love coffee poo poo I start every working day with a coffee poo poo. I'm surprised I've not seen that aspect discussed much in this thread. Content: what would be a reasonable entry-level electric grinder for espresso? What is the minimum I should expect to spend?
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Nov 9, 2020 13:56
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Gunder posted:Yeah, it’s substantially more expensive than the other two though. (£500 compared to £350). If you can stretch to the Niche, it’s the best you’ll get for the price. I just got mine a month or so ago, and I wish I’d just bought this when I first started. Thanks, I am in £ so that is particularly helpful. Unless I am mistaken, I understand the Niche is a kickstarter thing so one could expect to wait a significant period to get one - that would put me off in itself. If I'm going to make an impulse purchase I need fast gratification.
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Nov 9, 2020 17:05
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Democratic Pirate posted:That makes sense to me. It does not make sense to the part of my brain who is bad with money and wants a full home espresso setup. You want it because it's cool. I want it too. Earlier this year I had to talk myself out of spending £500 on a grinder and £600 on a La Pavoni manual espresso machine. For the one capuccino I was drinking each day.
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Jan 28, 2021 09:22
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That's the problem, though - the argument about saving money only works once, when you first stop buying your pre-made drinks. I already used it up - now I'm comparing it to making them myself with the Sage Bambino Plus so there's no saving, just an improvement in quality.
Sir Sidney Poitier fucked around with this message at 07:29 on Jan 29, 2021 |
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Jan 29, 2021 07:27
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Is there any downside to using the Kalita Wave 185 for a single cup, versus the 155?
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Feb 17, 2021 09:51
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Lord Stimperor posted:Hey, cultural question. How is ground coffee packaged in your place? In the UK I've seen almost exclusively in loose-filled plastic bags, with the exception of Lavazza in a vacuum-packed bag/brick. Never seen a tin for ground coffee, only for instant.
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Feb 20, 2021 15:37
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I've got a Wilfa Svart grinder and I'm keeping my beans in the hopper because that's what's convenient. I've seen the 'put a metal spoon under the tap, shake it off, then stir through the beans' trick to avoid static, but is this only for when adding single doses of beans to the hopper at once? Will it cause issues if there's plenty in there that aren't going to be ground that moment?
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Apr 8, 2021 15:14
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I'd got a 3 cup (come on, this is 1 small cup) moka pot because I wanted a shorter drink in the morning, it was ending up lovely and sour. After Hoffman's last video (contained all the same info as this one, just not in a clear process form) I managed to end up making a consistently good brew and now I'm really pleased with it. The main differences that I noticed were coming from the aeropress filter and turning the gas almost off as soon as it started brewing.
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Jan 31, 2022 10:10
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MetaJew posted:Related to the moka pot, what do y'all use to funnel in grounds without making a mess? I always wind up spilling grounds all over my counter trying to pour from my Vario's grounds bin, and I know you're not supposed to tamp the coffee into the basket so I'm always hesitant to really start packing in the grounds too much with my finger to make more room when filling it. This is such a weak point of the design. I hold my grinder's bin in one hand, the moka basket in the other hand between thumb and middle finger, then pour out the corner of the grinder bin whilst tapping with the index finger of the hand holding the moka basket. Stopping occasionally to just tap the side of the moka basket to settle the grounds a bit, before skimming off the top with something flat. All done over the sink because it's annoyingly messy and wasteful. Then there's nowhere to set the moka basket down whilst I fill the base with water - I end up resting it between the bars covering one of my hobs.
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Feb 1, 2022 08:40
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Pantsmaster Bill posted:If you want a small coffee that can be done quickly, have you ruled out a Moka pot? It’s not espresso but it might fill that niche? I watched the Hoffman videos on these, took in all the points, tried my best to control all the variables but I found that despite all of this they are far too ... variable. I did get some really excellent results, but I just could not replicate them consistently. I moved back to my Sage/Breville Bambino Plus without the pressurised filter and the consistency has gone way up. I felt I was always chasing the dragon with the moka pot.
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May 31, 2022 08:28
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What's a good cold brew contraption for making batches? I got one of these because it seemed to get decent reviews on youtube, but I find that it's pretty inconvenient to use. There's no way to conveniently stir the grounds and it's difficult to get enough in there along with enough water to properly cover them.
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Jun 20, 2022 08:48
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The Oxo one looks ideal - though it seems like there's some concerted effort to make it unavailable in the UK, at least below more than twice MSRP.
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Jun 20, 2022 10:28
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Thanks for the suggestions. I do think I prefer the immersion method but one of the things I've had trouble squaring is a lot of these contraptions seem pretty expensive for what is essentially just a bit of plastic (example: Toddy). The thing that I had not considered was the use of nut milk bags as filters - prior to using this Hario thing that I've got now, I was putting it in a mixing bowl and straining through a sieve then a cloth. These nut milk bags seem like a simplification of that so I might figure out a way of using those like you say with Mason jars.
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Jun 20, 2022 15:55
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I loved the Kalita Wave for a couple of reasons: - Didn't have to rinse filters, they were so thin - It was incredibly consistent with little effort It made it really easy to tune and get exactly what I wanted out of the extraction, then keep it that way. If you get one, get a ceramic or glass one - not metal. The metal one I found had draining problems.
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Jun 22, 2022 12:21
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I am flirting with the idea of a Niche Zero. With this sort of thing, is it practical to swap back and forth between pour over and espresso grind sizes?
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Oct 31, 2022 10:42
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Gunder posted:Edit: Because I can't make a post in this thread without mentioning the Lagom Mini: Have you considered the Lagom Mini instead of the Niche? It's cheaper and pretty great. I didn't know of its existence, but looking at the options for obtaining one in the UK it seems as though with our loving comical exchange rate and also the tax payable on import it'd end up not far off the same price.
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Oct 31, 2022 13:41
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I used a Bialetti moka pot for some months earlier this year, having looked at the James Hoffman technique. Perhaps one time in ten it made a really excellent brew with flavour and texture, but I found it way too hard to be consistent. If I could have it consistently at its best, I'd pick it over espresso.
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Nov 15, 2022 07:50
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kliras posted:awesome, thanks. the Sage the Bambino Plus SES500BSS appears to be the one that's available to also buy I got this when my lovely Delonghi machine broke at the start of covid and it was absolutely worth it. I'll probably keep it until it breaks, upgrading the other components of my setup before this. The button to do the milk is useful - set how you want it in terms of temperature and volume, put the jug on the sensor, then it does the rest.
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Nov 23, 2022 06:42
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kliras posted:thanks, all, appreciate it I had the machine 2 years before it asked me to descale it. I also bought third party descaler and filters, each being about 1/3rd of the price. Edit: For these I just searched Amazon for 'Sage Bambino filter' or similar and it showed the knock-offs, which have been fine. Sir Sidney Poitier fucked around with this message at 15:13 on Nov 23, 2022 |
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Nov 23, 2022 15:01
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Pilfered Pallbearers posted:My friend, you’ve stumbled into the thread where most of us have $1000+ in coffee gear. $200 is pretty cheap at this point. This makes me proud that I've been reading this thread about 3 years and am presently happy with £350 of gear. Sage Bambino Plus, Wilfa grinder, some cheap scale. Soon to change to £850 when I get a Niche Zero.
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Nov 26, 2022 10:15
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BrianBoitano posted:
gently caress.
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Dec 7, 2022 07:57
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Furious Lobster posted:Yes, I had to keep the scheme going (wife's requirement). Mine has the opposite requirement, fortunately. Though the black version of the Silvia costs more and that's what I want in the future.
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Dec 26, 2022 20:28
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Pilfered Pallbearers posted:You’re going to want two separate grinders. Niche can technically do both but jumping between those two settings ain’t worth it. Pff, I intended to buy a Niche for this reason. Now I'm going to have the uphill struggle to convince my wife why two coffee grinders on the countertop is necessary.
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Jan 14, 2023 19:39
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amenenema posted:Get a Niche Zero (cheapest "universally recommended" espresso grinder of which I'm aware) I got one of these yesterday but I've yet to try espresso with it. It feels so incredibly well built.
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Feb 10, 2023 18:39
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sellouts posted:Calibrate it, imo. Super easy to do and there are plenty of YouTube videos. No tools required! Just did this, thanks. It hadn't occurred to me, but makes sense.
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Feb 10, 2023 19:45
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Pilfered Pallbearers posted:Most of the Breville machines use 54mm, and you can get IMS and the other brand (blanking on) precision baskets without issue. I have an IMS 16-20g one and it even fits in the stock portafilter. This interests me. Is there a particular model number for what you have? I want one. Ideally I'd prefer not to replace the portafilter. Edit: Also, to what extent are these compatible with the Normcore 53.3mm tamper I just ordered? Sir Sidney Poitier fucked around with this message at 08:52 on Feb 14, 2023 |
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Feb 14, 2023 08:47
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bergeoisie posted:I recently got a Niche Zero and the little cup is super static-y. It's kind of a pain to knock it like 4 times to get the last remnants of ground beans out. Anything I can do to fix that? I just got one too and have exactly this problem. BrianBoitano posted:If you don't have a sprayer, instead splash some water on a spoon, shake it off, and stir your beans with the small amount of water still clinging onto the spoon. This is what I do and it completely eliminated the static today. Bandire posted:The manual actually says not to do RDT with the Niche. I believe the burrs are not coated, so it could potentially cause the burrs to rust. There's also plenty of folks saying they've been doing it ages and it's been fine. The amount of water that's ended up on my beans would not go anywhere near causing such a problem - this is a tiny spoon, with maybe 1-2 droplets of water on it, stirred through 16g beans so gently caress all would end up in there after it'd been run for a few seconds after the grinding is done. For how much comes out of even a small spray bottle I can see why it might be iffy.
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Feb 15, 2023 06:34
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I also ordered one of the things in this video to get the last of the grounds out of the grinder (zero retention, sure): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_i43frlTFg
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Feb 15, 2023 09:53
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The reason I got that weird silicone plunger thing for my Niche is not because the retention matters from a drink perspective, but because it comes out when the grinder is knocked. I grind my beans, I give it a couple of taps until no more comes out, I do my stuff then put the cup back. Then an hour later if the machine is disturbed, a bit more grounds come out, and again, and it just ends up messy. Edit: I measured beans vs. grounds, 0.2g retained, which I suppose isn't much. Sir Sidney Poitier fucked around with this message at 09:15 on Feb 16, 2023 |
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Feb 16, 2023 08:17
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Jhet posted:but that a gram scale and a knock box are really the only must haves to get started. How is a knock box a must?
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Feb 17, 2023 08:20
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I always just used a spoon over the bin, a knock box is just another awkward thing to clean. Managed quite happily for years without. If I was making a dozen a day I'd feel differently about it perhaps. Edit: Given how coffee innovations end up with a name, I call this "the SSP technique". Sir Sidney Poitier fucked around with this message at 09:19 on Feb 17, 2023 |
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Feb 17, 2023 08:42
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I got the IMS basket for my Breville/Sage portafilter - I did have to remove the plastic insert and loving hell it was disgusting behind there.
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Feb 17, 2023 14:54
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I think I might have got incredibly lucky upon first using this IMS basket and changing the dose accordingly, because I ended up getting a shot that made me think "oh poo poo I didn't realise I could achieve this". Everything must have just ended up just right by coincidence because this was probably the best espresso I've had.
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Feb 17, 2023 18:51
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