Search found 11160 matches

by another_jim
March 16th, 2024, 6:32 pm
Forum: Coffees
Replies: 18
Views: 352

Coffee "earth" notes

On the plus side, Harazis and aged Javas, among others, have deep notes that are sort of earthy, leathery, and spicey. While not everyone's cup of tea, they are considered an important aspect of those origins' flavors. There are people who like light roasts because they want no deep notes at all in ...
by another_jim
March 16th, 2024, 1:29 am
Forum: Coffee Roasting
Replies: 4
Views: 182

How does elevation at site of roasting affect coffee?

I've talked to roasters in the Rockies, and they do have burner issues. They mentioned needing to get different burners from the stock ones. Sadly, I'm clueless about gas burners, so I don't know if it's simply about derating the BTUH, and using a different off the shelf burner, or whether they need...
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by another_jim
March 14th, 2024, 5:20 pm
Forum: Coffees
Replies: 28
Views: 925

SUGAR, how dare you ??

Sugar is a flavor enhancer, and adding a pinch of sugar to everything is grandma's secret recipe (every grandma who cooks). So, basically, adding sugar can help. BUT ... a great deal of cooking is about avoiding this. You pick ripe fruits that are naturally sweet; you bake and saute to develop just ...
by another_jim
March 14th, 2024, 4:59 pm
Forum: Tips and Techniques
Replies: 33
Views: 1125

Coffee too fresh for espresso. How to tell?

I probably should have mentioned that precison baskets can't do larrge doese changes; you have to switch to a different, low dose precision basket. The dose changing advice presupposes traditional baskets with tapered bases
by another_jim
March 14th, 2024, 12:17 am
Forum: Buying Advice
Replies: 8
Views: 483

Meaningful upgrade from Lelit Bianca V3

The Bianca is close to perfect for manually manipulating flow -- the E61 group happens to be perfectly preadapted for a nice smooth needle valve. You can do better with temperature stability and water dispersion; although you'll have a hard time equalling the real time flow control. If full automati...
by another_jim
March 14th, 2024, 12:00 am
Forum: Coffees
Replies: 41
Views: 2464

Favorite nutty / med-dark espresso coffee?

I haven't tried Saka blends. There are generally no roast dates on Italian beans, just very far out "best by" dates, that might be about two years after the roast date. I've had some skunky tasting bags; but in general, this type of coffee doesn't really go stale, since it isnt much about being fres...
by another_jim
March 13th, 2024, 4:11 am
Forum: Lever Espresso Machines
Replies: 14
Views: 430

La Peppina purchase

The Peppina is one of the best small lever espresso machines ever made if you are looking solely for straight espresso. Both machines look great externally. The question is whether the heat works, and the lever seals and pistons are in good shape. Repairing the seals on the Peppina is an expert task...
by another_jim
March 13th, 2024, 1:49 am
Forum: Repairs, Restorations & Mods
Replies: 9
Views: 262

"Mini Veigal" restoration. What's the name behind it?

The Rancilio Silvia and Brasilia Club, also from the 1980s, started as gift machines for dealers and cafe owners who had their commercial machines. Your Mini Veigal looks a lot like those; and may have started its life as a commercial gift
by another_jim
March 12th, 2024, 10:05 pm
Forum: Grinders
Replies: 393
Views: 39927

Option-O Lagom 01 Discussion

Mine chirp only a smidge before they lock; best of any flat I've ever used. That or the marker test only tells you about the burr alignment close to zero. But given the way it runs and the coffee it produces; I have no reason to suspect alignment problems
by another_jim
March 12th, 2024, 10:00 pm
Forum: Buying Advice
Replies: 5
Views: 143

EU/Australia Dual Boiler VS North America Dual Boiler

Exactly. Once dual boiler machines are warm, there is mostly no difference in performance. The models I know all use a lock out to prevent the boilers running simultaneously; but there may be a few models that use differently rated heaters in the steam boiler. Those would have higher performance ste...