JmanEspresso wrote:Scarlet City doesnt have the lightspeed blend on their site right now. I hope they've just run out of the coffees they need for it.. Its a great blend. Luckily I would say warp drive is the better one by a slight margin.

Recently tried the Linea Caffe espresso blend. Very good. That one is not as much of a super chocolate bomb like a lot of those other blends, but its very good.

And I second the rec. for Cafe Lusso. More very delicious coffee.

How are you doing the Cafe Lusso?? I would love to experience it like that... I can't pull a great shot with it. Let me take a look at my notes. Be right back.

wachuko wrote:These are the ones that I have tried. Ordered by how I like them. Keep in mind that I am a newbie and still trying out different ones. Their order could simply be related to me not being capable of pulling a decent shot due to my inexperience. Here you go:

• Vivace Dolce Espresso ( I tried this after seeing a video from Denis pouring over a piece of brown sugar). So far, this one is my favorite.
• Red Bird Brazil Sweet Blue
• Zaza's (local Cuban restaurant that sell their espresso blend beans). The cuban colada taste amazing with this bean.
• Nossa Familia Full Cycle - This was a recommendation from here along with the Caffe Lusso... I need to spend more time to dial this in and see if I can get something as good as everyone describes... my skills are not there yet
• Caffe Lusso Gran Miscela Carmo - everyone here raves about this one... I have not been able to get something as good as the other ones above.
• Lavazza Super Crema Espresso - first one I bought that got me a decent shot... wife loves it with milk. I no longer make this for me. Finishing what we have in my wife's lattes and will not be buying again. Not because I don't like it, just that I prefer the top three on this list for now.
• Klatch WBC - yeah, could not figure out why... not something that I can say wow me...
• Counter Culture La Golondrina (not my cup of tea... really, to me, it tasted like tea... wife loved it)
• Koffe Kult Dark Roast - very dissapointed with this one... tasted just like that first test I did with the Starbucks French roast... gave it to my father-in-law to use in the Delonghi

Jaime,

You could be on the path to making great espresso by now. May I suggest a different approach? Sit tight with one clearly defined approach for a couple months. I've seen a lot of your posts since you started. You have a crazy amount of variety in your routine, multiple machines, grinders, type of machines (pump & rotary), and COFFEE. I know that's the exciting part, but your learning curve will be indefinite unless you limit variety for a bit.

Have you had a professionally made shot that you liked somewhere and if so what?

Get 1 coffee (suggest a fresh roast rather than Lavazza and the ZaZa, been there) and work it in 1 fashion for a couple months, meaning... 1 machine, 1 basket, 1 grinder, 1 basket prep method, 1 dose, (even 1 dose out), grind setting as the only variable...

That will get highly repeatable and maybe "boring" but you will get shots you enjoy and it be your baseline for change. I.e 1 variable at a time after.

After a while you can have an espresso at a great cafe, buy their beans, go home and make the same thing anytime you want.

Then that would have to be using the La Pavoni with the Helor 101 grinder. I can't use the Rocket as I do not have a single dose electric grinder to use with it... well, I don't have the grinder I want to use with it... I do have the Rocky but does not look like it will be worth it to try to dial that one in based on feedback I have read... and I do not want to buy an interim grinder while I wait for the next batch of grinders from Denis.

I hear you loud and clear. And if I had to choose today, I would be sticking with Vivace Dolce. The question always on my mind is if there is something even better that I might be missing out on... only way to find out is to try several mores to validate. But to your point, if I am trying to do that without figuring out the mechanics and specifics of my equipment, then I am wasting good coffee and money...

Ok. Grinder and machine decided. What about your baskets on that machine, what is a good working dose?

If I may make another suggestion. Vivace is a bit of an outlier type coffee (if there is such a thing). It's designed for extremely tight pulls, less than 1:1 ratios. But if you tend toward more comfort blends like this try something like Intelligenstia black cat. You can get up to 5 lb bags. I read recently you wanted to get sweetness but weren't. It will still have that chocolate / molasses profile but have a bit more fruit. And most likely sweetness

I'd also suggest with this style of blend then fixing a brew ratio of 1:1.5 so you can still get the sweetness in extraction but keep enough mouthfeel.

There are other blends too that will be a good transition point, just make sure you also don't start critical judgements till atleast 5 days after roast or so..

Once that is all determined, literally fix everything and only change grind until you get the sweet full bodied shot..

Hopefully you have your distribution technique dialed in for even bottomless extractions already..

Let us know if black cat isn't your fancy and we can throw out other reliable comfort blends...

Others have mentioned Gran Miscela Carmo from Caffe Lusso. That is my favorite lately. I find it quite delicious as a straight shot or in a cappuccino or latte.

Rocky

It's personal preference, but I like pulling Vivace Dolce as a 1:1.5 or even 1:2 and enjoy it that way more than the uber tight ristrettos they serve at their cafes. Still a sweet chocolate espresso, very much a comfort shot. I think it's a good one to fine tune your lever technique for that style espresso.

RyanJE wrote:Ok. Grinder and machine decided. What about your baskets on that machine, what is a good working dose?

If I may make another suggestion. Vivace is a bit of an outlier type coffee (if there is such a thing). It's designed for extremely tight pulls, less than 1:1 ratios. But if you tend toward more comfort blends like this try something like Intelligenstia black cat. You can get up to 5 lb bags. I read recently you wanted to get sweetness but weren't. It will still have that chocolate / molasses profile but have a bit more fruit. And most likely sweetness

I'd also suggest with this style of blend then fixing a brew ratio of 1:1.5 so you can still get the sweetness in extraction but keep enough mouthfeel.

There are other blends too that will be a good transition point, just make sure you also don't start critical judgements till atleast 5 days after roast or so..

Once that is all determined, literally fix everything and only change grind until you get the sweet full bodied shot..

Hopefully you have your distribution technique dialed in for even bottomless extractions already..

Let us know if black cat isn't your fancy and we can throw out other reliable comfort blends...

Using Elektra double baskets. Currently using 16 grams in with 24 grams out... but sometimes I just pull it all... Vivace Dolce is hard to get it to taste bad.. lol

I have been using a bottomless portafilter, correct, and extraction is even.

RyanP wrote:It's personal preference, but I like pulling Vivace Dolce as a 1:1.5 or even 1:2 and enjoy it that way more than the uber tight ristrettos they serve at their cafes. Still a sweet chocolate espresso, very much a comfort shot. I think it's a good one to fine tune your lever technique for that style espresso.

Pretty much what I am doing. Cool

I've only recently gotten into espresso but both the decaf espresso and bonsai blend espresso from Veltons have been supremely satisfying as a straight shot no milk. Chocolatey but fruity. Take it with a grain of salt as I haven't really tried many other beans specifically for 'spro. Good prices, you can order in a variety of sizes, and shipping prices are awesome.

wachuko wrote:How are you doing the Cafe Lusso?? I would love to experience it like that... I can't pull a great shot with it. Let me take a look at my notes. Be right back.

it was 2 or 3 orders ago, and I didn't write down the parameters, but a very educated guess would be, 22grams in, very close to 22grams out. Maybe a little over the 1:1 ratio at times, but, I often like the tight ristretto shots if the coffee works for that style. I can at least be sure thats where I started dialing it in. Oh, I should add, I personally have gotten very, very used to a high dose. Unless a coffee just wont work at like 22grams or thereabouts, thats generally where I start. Its just what Ive gotten used to lately and what I prefer. If you prefer the 17-18gram area, which is commonly the suggested dose from roasters and their coffee, by all means.

If you love Dolce, its hard to find another coffee that has its characteristics. I would definitely say Scarlet City comes closest.