Milk drinks with a spring lever - Page 2

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reganmagor (original poster)
Posts: 11
Joined: 10 years ago

#11: Post by reganmagor (original poster) »

DanoM wrote:Yeah, I understand wanting to get your joy out of the big purchase that is a Strega. Buyers remorse plays tricks with your mind!
Dude, it's eating me alive right now. I appreciate your helping me through this. As I said, worst case is I return it for a full refund. Which means, of course, that I could flake out huge and buy it again later.

I wonder if I should have used a different subject line: "Can anyone here make me stop being a big baby and help me make my shots explode in the middle of my face?"

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victoriacoffees
Posts: 90
Joined: 10 years ago

#12: Post by victoriacoffees »

I quickly read thru the previous responses so forgive me if my response has already been suggested.

Have you tried increasing/decreasing boiler temps? I find my flavor profile changes considerably when I change my p-stat settings. Maybe this, in combination with other variables will help you hit your mark.
John V.

IMAWriter
Posts: 3472
Joined: 19 years ago

#13: Post by IMAWriter »

reganmagor wrote:Dude, it's eating me alive right now. I appreciate your helping me through this. As I said, worst case is I return it for a full refund. Which means, of course, that I could flake out huge and buy it again later.

I wonder if I should have used a different subject line: "Can anyone here make me stop being a big baby and help me make my shots explode in the middle of my face?"
I would humbly suggest it would be time to educate yourself a bit on the coffee bean itself.
Coffee's like Daterra Yellow, etc are NOT MEANT as tongue tinglers in copious amounts of milk, or really (IMO) any milk at all.

Many coffees are not at their best when blended with more than 3-4oz of milk. Others can hold up to 6-7 oz. Often the roast degree..medium medium dark, dark, etc has no bearing.
Ken Davids (last name spelled as I did) series of books will really open your eyes to the possibilities to get closer to what you like best.

In my opinion, a blend such as Red Bird, or perhaps Bodka's "Main Squeeze" at 20 grams might be the ticket.
For single origin, a darker roasted Guatemalan, Brazilian (not too dark or it gets ashy), or even Sumatran, all at 20 grams, moderate pour (not too drippy), 45-50ml yield is an idea in larger cappas or lattes.
Another factor, not mentioned, is whether you're steaming your milk to get the proper consistency for the larger milk drink. Lets assume you are. Next, don't let your milk get too hot. 140f-150f is sweetest with no funky taste. Whole milk makes the creamiest drinks.

As to the Strega, PLEASE don't blame the gear. If you do as suggested, just let the pump do the fiorst bit of work. When you see drips, release the lever. It's usually when the pump dies down, for me about a 9 count.
This will give you pretty much EXACTLY what any typical 9 bar HX pump machine would do.
AND..with the Strega you have the option to pull real lever shots.

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Dooglas
Posts: 64
Joined: 18 years ago

#14: Post by Dooglas »

reganmagor wrote:I usually pull a double shot into an 8 oz cup so it's kind of surprising that it tastes more like milk than coffee.
I'm with bostonbuzz, I think that is too much milk for a good cap. The classic advice is 2 oz shot, 2 oz foam, 2 oz hot milk. In other words, a 6 oz drink. And even cutting back from that wouldn't hurt if you feel like you have too much milk.

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