Barista re-entry student doing home study - Page 2

by **cannonfodder** on Mon Jun 27, 2005 1:40 pm

If you want to get very picky, you could take a pair of precision calipers and measure the basket. Then get one custom turned, I had to do that for my Gaggia Factory lever machine. I tried to use a plastic tamper that I cut down to size, it worked until my stainless tamper arrived. Use the correct tool for the job and life is so much nicer, and much tastier...

Dan did a bang-up job on his HX article. When I got my HX machine, I was a bit lost. This is the best article I have seen, it helped me understand what was going on and shortened my learning curve.

I have a different machine (Isomac millennium) but I run my boiler at 1.3 top and 1.1 at the bottom. I do a lot of frothing so I prefer the higher steam output. Downside, my recovery is very short. I dose my PF and tamp, then flush into my cup until the hissing subsides plus another three seconds. Lock the PF in, take my now blazing hot cup and pour it into the sink, stick it under the spout and flip the handle, about 10 seconds from flush to go. Some espresso blends like hotter temps, other work well in cooler water, but the first order of business is consistency, then work on variations.

by HB on Mon Jun 27, 2005 5:18 pm

cannonfodder wrote:If you want to get very picky, you could take a pair of precision calipers and measure the basket. Then get one custom turned, I had to do that for my Gaggia Factory lever machine.

FYI, Reg Barber will machine tampers to spec when ordering. By popular demand, he recently added ordering pages for bases (pistons) only.

by **Bradley Allen** on Tue Jun 28, 2005 11:17 am

HB wrote:FYI, Reg Barber will machine tampers to spec when ordering. By popular demand, he recently added ordering pages for bases (pistons) only.

I thought about ordering the 49mm base for the Olympia and a 58mm base for the La Valentina. I'm not sure if I need two complete tampers.

Is it very easy/realistic to unscrew the bases... or am I just asking for trouble swapping them in and out regularly?

by **Bradley Allen** on Tue Jun 28, 2005 11:21 am

cannonfodder wrote:I have a different machine (Isomac millennium) but I run my boiler at 1.3 top and 1.1 at the bottom. I do a lot of frothing so I prefer the higher steam output. Downside, my recovery is very short. I dose my PF and tamp, then flush into my cup until the hissing subsides plus another three seconds. Lock the PF in, take my now blazing hot cup and pour it into the sink, stick it under the spout and flip the handle, about 10 seconds from flush to go. Some espresso blends like hotter temps, other work well in cooler water, but the first order of business is consistency, then work on variations.

I'll give that a try. I managed to get a good pull after I switched beans (from Peet's to Barefoot Coffee Roasters 'Element 114'). I also played a few notes on the steam wand during extraction to keep it just under 1 BAR.

by HB on Tue Jun 28, 2005 11:52 am

Bradley Allen wrote:Is it very easy/realistic to unscrew the bases... or am I just asking for trouble swapping them in and out regularly?

They unscrew easily, but the Reg Barber has a wood handle. Over time the in-and-out routine might loosen it up unacceptably. I personally would invest in two tampers, or choose one that has an all-metal handle (e.g., espressocraft, Vivace Ergo Tamper, Lava Tamper, etc.).

by **Bradley Allen** on Tue Jun 28, 2005 1:02 pm

HB wrote:They unscrew easily, but the Reg Barber has a wood handle. Over time the in-and-out routine might loosen it up unacceptably. I personally would invest in two tampers, or choose one that has an all-metal handle (e.g., espressocraft, Vivace Ergo Tamper, Lava Tamper, etc.).

Thank you. I'll get two. I was having a moment of being "pound wise, but penny foolish".

by **cannonfodder** on Tue Jun 28, 2005 4:23 pm

One thing I have been paying particular attention to lately is making sure I start my extraction at the same point in the boiler cycle. I start it just as my pressure hits the top of the cycle but before the heater kicks off. That way the boiler is still heating as my extraction starts, and remains on during the extraction. I have noticed a smaller drop in pressure during my pull. That way, my boiler holds a steadier temperature through the extraction cycle. That big hunk of chromed brass in the front (E61) takes care of any other thermal stability issues.

The more I learn, the more I realize how much more there is to learn...
:shock:

by **Bradley Allen** on Fri Jul 01, 2005 6:53 pm

cannonfodder wrote:One thing I have been paying particular attention to lately is making sure I start my extraction at the same point in the boiler cycle. I start it just as my pressure hits the top of the cycle but before the heater kicks off. That way the boiler is still heating as my extraction starts, and remains on during the extraction. I have noticed a smaller drop in pressure during my pull. That way, my boiler holds a steadier temperature through the extraction cycle. That big hunk of chromed brass in the front (E61) takes care of any other thermal stability issues.

The more I learn, the more I realize how much more there is to learn...

That's a nice tip. I'm trying to hit it right, but I'm still learning.


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