espresso making mags?

I started in to espresso seriously about 18 years ago when I got a used Rancilio Silvia with a new Rocky grinder...

The biggest things that have made significant changes to my quality and consistency along the way (chronologically):

1>PID temperature control on the machine
2>Finding a really good consistent blend of coffee that we love (Sweet Maria's Ethiopique - roasted med-dark)
3>Controlling dose by mass - this was the most dramatic one I would say. It's hard to dial in other variables if you can't keep the rest of them consistent.

Surprisingly, we have continued to improve the quality and consistency of our shots especially in the last year. It's a life time project I guess, and I'm OK with that.

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Originally Posted by rod9301

The days from roast are they with beans recu exposed to air or under vacuum?

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this is also kind of complicated to answer - vacuum storage for coffee is good so long as the coffee has already degassed properly. it will keep coffee fresher, but even under vac seal coffee will still peak and decline. also worth noting, if you are opening and closing the same jar to get beans out, you're effectively interrupting the vac seal every time.

i store my coffee in mason jars fwiw, sitting on a windowsill. i have a lot of mason jars though and it's easy to do.

mag pro tip: if you want maximum fresh coffee at minimum prices, the best move is to buy a wholesale 5# bag from a super high end roaster (i can give you recommendations if you want), and then as soon as you get the bag, vacuum seal individual, 8oz portions of it and freeze it. then, only take out one 8oz bag at a time. coffee keeps incredibly well when vac sealed and frozen.

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Originally Posted by snoboy

I started in to espresso seriously about 18 years ago when I got a used Rancilio Silvia with a new Rocky grinder...

The biggest things that have made significant changes to my quality and consistency along the way (chronologically):

1>PID temperature control on the machine
2>Finding a really good consistent blend of coffee that we love (Sweet Maria's Ethiopique - roasted med-dark)
3>Controlling dose by mass - this was the most dramatic one I would say. It's hard to dial in other variables if you can't keep the rest of them consistent.

Surprisingly, we have continued to improve the quality and consistency of our shots especially in the last year. It's a life time project I guess, and I'm OK with that.

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yeah ethiopiques is the shit, and tom at sweet maria's is such a nice dude. his coffee generally rocks.

i'm way too add to settle into a single espresso blend and just drink that though, i go for the old one-off special every time i pull a shot. little of this jar, little of that...

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Originally Posted by snoboy

I started in to espresso seriously about 18 years ago when I got a used Rancilio Silvia with a new Rocky grinder...

The biggest things that have made significant changes to my quality and consistency along the way (chronologically):

1>PID temperature control on the machine
2>Finding a really good consistent blend of coffee that we love (Sweet Maria's Ethiopique - roasted med-dark)
3>Controlling dose by mass - this was the most dramatic one I would say. It's hard to dial in other variables if you can't keep the rest of them consistent.

Surprisingly, we have continued to improve the quality and consistency of our shots especially in the last year. It's a life time project I guess, and I'm OK with that.

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I got the same ^^ unit, good bomber machine, no plastic, but I don't have the PID so I hit the pump switch a few times till the heater element light comes on, I wait 10 seconds after the light goes out the heat will be the highest, hit the pump switch again for the shot

how heavy is yer shot of coffee I might try that cuz I have a good postage scale ?

18 g of coffee in.

Aiming for about 36 g out in 30-32 s - when i bother to weigh the shot.

We still try lots of different blends, but the best shots come from the coffee we know best in my experience.

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Originally Posted by snoboy

18 g of coffee in.

Aiming for about 36 g out in 30-32 s - when i bother to weigh the shot.

We still try lots of different blends, but the best shots come from the coffee we know best in my experience.

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weighing your dose in makes sense. weighing your shot doesn't. you can have a "target" weight (say you want a nice 1:1 ristretto or a standard 2:1 double) but you should generally kill the pump before the shot blonds, no matter what. if you blond at 24g but wanted 32 g, those extra 6g are gonna make ur shot taste like ass

I thought 32-24 equals 8. Feeling like I’m bush league with my Gaggia Classic and basic burr grinder.

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Originally Posted by tgapp

weighing your dose in makes sense. weighing your shot doesn't. you can have a "target" weight (say you want a nice 1:1 ristretto or a standard 2:1 double) but you should generally kill the pump before the shot blonds, no matter what. if you blond at 24g but wanted 32 g, those extra 6g are gonna make ur shot taste like ass

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I purposely drink that stuff sometimes to test this theory. While not necessarily an old wives tale, I feel it is overplayed. But people have different definitions of blonding, I imagine.

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Originally Posted by tgapp

this is also kind of complicated to answer - vacuum storage for coffee is good so long as the coffee has already degassed properly. it will keep coffee fresher, but even under vac seal coffee will still peak and decline. also worth noting, if you are opening and closing the same jar to get beans out, you're effectively interrupting the vac seal every time.

i store my coffee in mason jars fwiw, sitting on a windowsill. i have a lot of mason jars though and it's easy to do.

mag pro tip: if you want maximum fresh coffee at minimum prices, the best move is to buy a wholesale 5# bag from a super high end roaster (i can give you recommendations if you want), and then as soon as you get the bag, vacuum seal individual, 8oz portions of it and freeze it. then, only take out one 8oz bag at a time. coffee keeps incredibly well when vac sealed and frozen.

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I buy 5#ers of the good shit.... let it degas for ~week under vacuum seal at room temp and then drop the whole lot in the freezer. Bag only out an hour or so each day as I pull a few shots in the morning. Otherwise freezer stored. Seems to be working well. Some decline but I am still pulling tasty shots deep into the bag..... although last lb arguably not as mind blowing as the first.

I’ve owned a grinder for 2 days now. Immediately knew it was too loud for the kitchen. Our bedroom is adjacent and wife not gonna be happy if this wakes her 1.5 hrs early.
Moved it to guest bathroom. High pitched whine still quite audible from there.
Tomorrow will tell if this helps.
Attachment 328213
Otherwise my final “solution” is to set it up in the garage. Or grind the night before, but according to most aficionados I’d be better off drinking urine from the toilet.


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Originally Posted by jm2e

I’ve owned a grinder for 2 days now. Immediately knew it was too loud for the kitchen. Our bedroom is adjacent and wife not gonna be happy if this wakes her 1.5 hrs early.
Moved it to guest bathroom. High pitched whine still quite audible from there.
Tomorrow will tell if this helps.
Attachment 328213
Otherwise my final “solution” is to set it up in the garage. Or grind the night before, but according to most aficionados I’d be better off drinking urine from the toilet.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

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Ha! Walked a similar path on all accounts. Wife heard the Atom in the store, so that's what we ended up with.

I won’t let this become a $1000 solution. I’ll go back to Nespresso and AeroPress.


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Originally Posted by mattig

I purposely drink that stuff sometimes to test this theory. While not necessarily an old wives tale, I feel it is overplayed. But people have different definitions of blonding, I imagine.

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I agree. Tgapp is way more knowledgeable than me, and I used to believe strongly in what he is saying...but the last 3-4 years I think I’ve changed my mind. Especially as I’ve played more with flow and pressure and started to get back into levers. I’m thinking now that blonding, striping, even channeling , can all be managed (to a degree) or may not actually even mean what I always thought. I’ve pulled some damn tasty shots that went deep into what I previously thought was ass territory based on visual cues.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jm2e

I’ve owned a grinder for 2 days now. Immediately knew it was too loud for the kitchen. Our bedroom is adjacent and wife not gonna be happy if this wakes her 1.5 hrs early.
Moved it to guest bathroom. High pitched whine still quite audible from there.

Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

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Damn. Sorry man. That’s gotta be so frustrating. And you sounded so stoked when you ordered it! If I recall, mass is really the only thing that can truly absorb sound? so maybe some kind of fashionable equivalent of a cinder block house? Can’t think of what that could reasonably be.

You could also start frequent micro batch roasting, then you could get away with grinding the night before. And greens are way cheaper and all you’d need is an old air popper from the thrift store!

well I hope you got laid last night for your efforts to placate

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Originally Posted by Slow 'n Steady

I agree. Tgapp is way more knowledgeable than me, and I used to believe strongly in what he is saying...but the last 3-4 years I think I’ve changed my mind. Especially as I’ve played more with flow and pressure and started to get back into levers. I’m thinking now that blonding, striping, even channeling , can all be managed (to a degree) or may not actually even mean what I always thought. I’ve pulled some damn tasty shots that went deep into what I previously thought was ass territory based on visual cues.

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okay yeah I agree in general and I've had some very tasty shots that didn't look like they were gonna be tasty but it's one thing knowing how to fix a channeled shot on a lever and it's another thing when you have a total gusher on a pump machine and you get shit coffee. blonding is similar; some blond is obviously okay but if ur crema comes out like the head from a can of natty lite, you're gonna have a bad time.

also shout-out to the number of times I've had like a 45-55 second ristretto and it was actually delicious

somewhat related, does anyone use Flair or similar lever machines for camping or even at home? idk about the other machines, but a Flair can pull some truly god tier shots.

Going for a particular shot time/mass doesn't imply that I am running my shots blonde... I still cut them by appearance, but I adjust other inputs to work towards that goal. Influenced by James Hoffman's recent videos.

Which vids?

I had a 50sec ristretto a couple days ago that I thought was gonna be complete shit and it was just fucking beautiful. Slot machine I tell you.

I use a hario mini and aero for camping, but I’m intrigued by the Espresso Forge. I sold my MK2, but the Forge paired with a nice hand grinder might be a fun car camping set-up.

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Originally Posted by Slow 'n Steady

Which vids?

I had a 50sec ristretto a couple days ago that I thought was gonna be complete shit and it was just fucking beautiful. Slot machine I tell you.

I use a hario mini and aero for camping, but I’m intrigued by the Espresso Forge. I sold my MK2, but the Forge paired with a nice hand grinder might be a fun car camping set-up.

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man get a flair, it's an incredible machine. seriously. can't recommend it enough.

Lol. Try using a big puffy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jm2e

I’ve owned a grinder for 2 days now. Immediately knew it was too loud for the kitchen. Our bedroom is adjacent and wife not gonna be happy if this wakes her 1.5 hrs early.
Moved it to guest bathroom. High pitched whine still quite audible from there.
Tomorrow will tell if this helps.
Attachment 328213
Otherwise my final “solution” is to set it up in the garage. Or grind the night before, but according to most aficionados I’d be better off drinking urine from the toilet.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

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Attachment 328353

pulled this shot today and was fucking stoked on it - 17g in, 28.5 out, 38 seconds, 198 degrees, 60% ethiopian sidamo shantawene organic dry processed, 40% honduran comoyagua washed.

apologies for the dirty work station, but you can see the "drug scale" in action there.

interesting taste test.

When you are pulling a shot, (if its normally 30 sec) line up 4 small glasses, and get just taste the 7 sec of the shot.

so taste the start, middle, middle and end.

intersting to see what part of the 30 sec tastes like what, and then yo can modify stuff to make more of what you like

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Originally Posted by mntlion

interesting taste test.

When you are pulling a shot, (if its normally 30 sec) line up 4 small glasses, and get just taste the 7 sec of the shot.

so taste the start, middle, middle and end.

intersting to see what part of the 30 sec tastes like what, and then yo can modify stuff to make more of what you like

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Love it.

I'll take the first 7

Twss

Any rec’s on any decent modern decaf beans out there? Roasted. Not buying green.

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Originally Posted by Slow 'n Steady

Any rec’s on any decent modern decaf beans out there? Roasted. Not buying green.

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heretical as it may be, when my kid wants coffee, we get sbux for decaf. s'alright unless you're deep into the uber light hipster "taste the origin and not the roast" movement.