Can't you instantly depressurize the residual pressure by removing the piston instantly after the pull?

Hello, I am new at the site and real coffee brewing. Thanks for sharing all helpful information.
I used to consume instant coffees before but I started using fresh roasted beans by brewing either Aeropress or french press. Now I am looking for espresso challange. What I would like to ask is would you recommend EspressoForge instead of entry level machines like Gaggia Classic considering the low budget and home usage?
Many thanks...

Can't you instantly depressurize the residual pressure by removing the piston instantly after the pull?

I haven't tried doing this since I'm busy enjoying the espresso after I'm done with the extraction. The piston is certainly pressurized after the pull. I always overfill the piston chamber, so when the piston goes in, there is no air in between the water and the bottom of the piston.

You can completely pull the piston out without much force and then insert it again to dry the puck. But this just adds time to the process, so I simply unscrew the the device in the sink and rinse it out.

Post by yalcinclk » Today, 7:19 am

Hello, I am new at the site and real coffee brewing. Thanks for sharing all helpful information.
I used to consume instant coffees before but I started using fresh roasted beans by brewing either Aeropress or french press. Now I am looking for espresso challange. What I would like to ask is would you recommend EspressoForge instead of entry level machines like Gaggia Classic considering the low budget and home usage?
Many thanks..

If you have a good grinder, like the Lido 3 or equivalent, and a calibrated tamper, like the Joe Frex Technic or the Espro, it should be very easy to make great espresso for anybody who is just getting started with espresso.

I switched from Moka Pots to Espresso Machines over two years ago. At first, I couldn't get the same quality of espresso each time with the Breville machine. The problem was that I was not able to tamp the ground coffee with the same amount of force each time. After I got the calibrated tamper, I was able to focus on the grind particles size and dose.

A great grinder is key to use this machine successfully. I don't recommend a grinder that has large steps in order to change particle size. The Lido and other similar grinders allow for very small increment changes so you can really dial in the extraction.

As of today, I have not produced a shot with the EspressoForge that is less than good. All my shots have been good, great or excellent. It's incredible how one can get the same extraction each time thanks to the pressure gauge.

by beer&mathematics » Yesterday, 10:44 pm
Next, be careful with the threads! I cut my hands up on the sharp threads washing it in the sink.

The threads are indeed razor sharp. In fact, all the corners of the bottom piece are very sharp. When I try to dry the base with a towel, it tends to shred it, so I just let it air dry. It's surprising that the edges were not beveled or chamfered.

My only gripes with this machine are finish and ergonomics. The handle should be bigger and the pressure gauge mounting hole should have been closer to the edge so to allow for a center-back pressure gauge mount. I think this solution would have been cleaner than having the 90° adapter to mount the pressure gauge facing up. As for the handle, it looks like I'll have to model and 3D print a larger handle.

Since this is the first iteration of the machine, I'm sure these issues will be addressed in future generations of the Espresso Forge.

Ahhh...much better! First try today:



Brought the lido 2 with its superior alignment into the office (in its carrying case too, got a few funny looks on the subway) and with no scale and no tamper and no pre heat and guessing the grind range, I was able to get a decent shot. Room for improvement? Sure, but it's so easy to use once you have a capable grinder

Hi all,

I've received my Forge about 3 days ago. The first impression was that it's as everyone mentioned - solidly built! The only unfortunate thing with mine is that the case on my pressure gauge was broken in the transit. But Andre will fix that for me (Thanks for the great support!).

Here're my impression :

i) The workflow is faster than using the Rossa HC, but in the early stage I did get some water spilled on the counter here and there
ii) It's hard to overpressure the Forge (which is a good thing). Single-handed pull will give somewhere 6-7 bar, whereas double-handed will yield 8-9 bar. So if you use your maximum but comfortable strength, you will always end up with 8-9 bar with your eye closed. You can go to 11 bar if desired but that will take a bit more strength.
iii) It's winter here so I found that preheat is needed. Even with preheat, I have a feeling it may not be brewing in the 93C(200F) range, but the espresso is good. Could be improved with proper preheating procedure as I get more familiar with the Forge.
iv) The grind setting required is indeed finer. Comparatively, the grind is even finer than when I was using VST on a vibe pump La Cimbali Junior. So you definitely need a decent grinder that can handle that.

There's definitely some learning curve for me but it's not too bad. Also, maybe due to the finer grind(and possibly lower temp & the 58mm vs 54mm basket on Rossa), I found that the taste profile is softer and more pleasing, compared to Rossa HC. It may be a good choice for those who love comfort-style espresso. Of course, this is just first impression and I am nowhere close to mastery yet.

Great to hear your thoughts Sam!

How do you feel about the size difference between the Rossa and the Forge? I've wanted a Rossa for a while but the Forge has me completely satisfied at the moment

Wow! Those shots look fantastic!

What pressure profiles are you guys using?

What beans/roast?

For my ristrettos I tend to follow the pressure profile recommended for dark roast beans in the EspressoForge website, except that I grind finer to get a shot in about 1:10 from the moment I lift the kettle to the end of the shot.

I also do 6 bars for a few seconds, then 9 bar for a few seconds and then 6 bars again for the remaining of the shot. Both of these pressure profiles yield very creamy, sirupy ristrettos.

beer&mathematics wrote: How do you feel about the size difference between the Rossa and the Forge? I've wanted a Rossa for a while but the Forge has me completely satisfied at the moment

Hi Jorge! One is dense and the other is long. In terms of volume occupied & weight, the Rossa (without gauge) is better. But like you, I had a feeling that the Forge could take more beating so I could travel more casually with it(just throw into the backpack). With the Rossa, I would make sure it's padded somehow and not dropped. So it's a wash in the end, both are travel-able. Haha. However, the tripod seems to be essential on the Forge, but not the Rossa. On another note, the Portaspresso tripod fits the Forge.

kofi wrote: What pressure profiles are you guys using?

What beans/roast?

I haven't played much with the pressure profile yet on the Forge. I have been doing 1bar preinfusion for about 5 sec then instant ramp to 8-9 bar (quite similar to what Dominick posted in his videos). The beans are home roasted to about City+ (slightly after end of first crack).

kofi wrote:Wow! Those shots look fantastic!

What pressure profiles are you guys using?

What beans/roast?

For my ristrettos I tend to follow the pressure profile recommended for dark roast beans in the EspressoForge website, except that I grind finer to get a shot in about 1:10 from the moment I lift the kettle to the end of the shot.

I also do 6 bars for a few seconds, then 9 bar for a few seconds and then 6 bars again for the remaining of the shot. Both of these pressure profiles yield very creamy, sirupy ristrettos.

Hi kofi, since I am using the Forge in my office cubicle with no access to sink or other kitchen things, I bought a simple comfort blend from the coffee shop near my school. I knew going in I wouldn't want to preheat (also I don't have a blind basket--d'oh) so stuck with that while I learned to use the Forge. Anyone else out there without a blind basket? I'm thinking this should come standard in the future.

Pressure profile---let's just say I haven't yet started looking at the gauge However, I do want to start trying out profiles and the one you mention seems very reasonable.

How much preinfusion do you folks thing goes on while water is being poured into the cylinder? After I put in the plunger, I do put light pressure for about 10 seconds, then ramp up...again just going by feeling on these first few shots...Next week I'll get a second 0.1g scale and tamper to bring to the office so I can start fine tuning. I'm not going to lie, it's a bit liberating flying blind!

By the way, I think Sam nailed it when he described the Forge's shots as "soft":

samuellaw178 wrote: I found that the taste profile is softer and more pleasing, compared to Rossa HC. It may be a good choice for those who love comfort-style espresso.

Final Who's found an attractive, printer-friendly, conversion chart for psi to bar? I'm a math prof so I can definitely make my own, but I'm also lazy

[Edit: Andre noted that the internal scale in red is in kPa so a quick division by 100 yields 'bar' readings since 100 kPa = 1 bar ~ no charts needed!]

csepulv wrote:.You could always use a tabletop tripod, like this one (for camera) or this one (for phones)

Ingenuity at its finest