Just reserved one this morning!
http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/home/espresso/izzoduetto

Ive never owned or used an espresso machine so I have a lot of questions.

I know that grind and tamp are important and I have already decided to go with a Macap M4 to compliment the Duetto. I have a Virtuoso for drip and would rather just have 2 dedicated grinders than re-calibrate the Virtuoso.
So as far as tampers go, is a flat bottom or convex better for this machine? If flat bottom is better than I'm thinking either the 58mm Motta or Reg Barber. I'll probably have the tamper and portafilter fitted with exotic wood handles so if the Motta base is the same specs. as the Reg Barber than I'll just go for the Motta:
http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/home/espressotampers/mottawoodhandletamper
Reg Barber: http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/home/espressotampers/regbarber
I was thinking of using a click mat to help me learn how to tamp. Does anyone have a user based opinion about this:
http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/home/espressotampers/espressogearclickmat

How many grams of coffee do you use for a single shot? What about a double?
What is the proper temp/pressure to pull a shot?
If frothing milk, for best results I heard to use whole milk and do not steam it past 165 F. Is this correct? I'll start off with a thermometer until I can learn how to do it properly.

I buy my beans from a few different roasters here in Chicago. Metropolis, Star Lounge, Intelligentsia and The Coffee & Tea Exchange. Is there a specific type of coffee that "should" be used for espresso? IE: Redline, BlackCat. For drip I like Sidamo, Tanzanian Peaberry, Rawanda, and on and on. Am I likely to pull a good shot with one of these?

Start here: http://www.home-barista.com/faqs-...orites-digest.html

Get a 0.1g scale so you can dose accurately and a calibrated beaker 60ml Oxo beaker.
Use good coffee. If you keep coffee in the hopper, keep about ¼ pound, otherwise be fastidious at clearing the grinder if you chose to grind per shot.
If you want singles try ~9g, doubles ~15g. Conventional wisdom has it that doubles are easier to pull.
Grind so you get ~1oz for singles / ~2oz for doubles in ~30s from when you start the pump.
If using the above, a gentle side to side shake to level the coffee pre-tamp is all that is needed.
Tamping can be very light and as long as it's level and consistent, it's all that's required.
The machine should be set for ~200°F. Leave it.

Concentrate on making espresso as above for two weeks. Don't over think it.
Espresso is not that tough.

The finer points can come later.

60ml. Calibrated beaker?

KarlJ wrote:60ml. Calibrated beaker?

Something like this

HB wrote:That's a shot glass for most people, though I prefer brewing ratios to volume measurements because the amount of crema makes meaningful comparisons difficult.

C'mon Dan,
Let the guy pull his first shot before sending off on brewing ratios. Too many times here we overload the n00b to the point of distraction. When they have the basics in hand, let 'em FF all they want

I too, think it wise to spend a little time just doin ~60ml doubles in ~30seconds. After that,, geek.. it...up!! You definitely have the machine for it, and HB is the place to be for some geeeeeeeeky discussions!

Remember, the beans is where the espresso magic can happen. IF you have the 'rules'(more like guidelines) in order, and your machine is working, and you are willing.. the beans are whats going to make the difference. Supermarket beans, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts.. no bueno. I suggest starting out with Klatch's Belle Espresso. Its often referred to as a 'noob' flavored espresso... being that its heavy on the chocolate flavors.. I can get on board with that, but it remains my favorite espresso blend, and I enjoy lots of SO shots often, Yemen, as well as my own funky blends. Counter Culture Toscano and Vivace cafe blends are also very popular. Gimme! Coffee out of Ithaca NY has some great espresso blends as well.

Enjoy my friend! Its a wild ride!

As an aside.. Whats the difference between the Duetto II, and the Alex Duetto. The Duetto isnt on Chris' site anymore, only the Duetto II, so I cant compare the two.. Is it the PID controls and what theyre capable of? Please excuse the OT question, I just cant find a major difference.. but maybe there isnt one. Thanks.

Jeff

I guess it seems silly to complain, but this new version is kind of a kick in the pants to everyone who bought the "original" version since it was released only few months ago. I would certainly have waited a bit longer for these improvements to make it into the design. The PID-controlled steam boiler isn't such a big deal (I think?), but the solid state relay should have been offered on the original 15 amp version. The mechanical relay is noisy, and apparently has a rather limited lifespan for this application.

Such is life...

also, once these come out perhaps folks can look into whether the 'upgrade' can be retrofitted to the original Duetto for reasonable cost?