I am a beginner, and I am looking to find the tastes that you talk about all the time here. And a good learning tool would be nice.

I have finally got my LaPeppina re-built and doing it's job. What I find I like most about it is that I can try several temps in a short time and see what one works best for a given roast.

I was wondering if anyone else used these basic straight flow machines for temp diff taste testing?

I find that I know now some of the basic tastes of bitter, or bright, or sour more completely than I did before. The ability to change temps on the fly and taste the difference is a positive learning path.

Has any one else found that the quick response temp of a small machine useful for tuning their larger machines?

What I have found is that I can try two or three temp profiles on the La Peppina in a 30 minute period, and taste the differences quickly.

If I wanted to do the same on my HX it would be a pain in the ass. And it would take so long that I would not have the taste memory in hand to make such a fine compression.

I wondered if any of you use a small straight through machine to fine tune your bigger machines?

-Cecil

Hi Cecil,
Great post!
You have found why many folks with the "latest and greatest" still love the Peppina and Caravel. I have used it to set my Astra or the Conti before a period of use. That helps me get real close and saves a lot of wasted beans. Surprisingly, the Peppina comes very close in grind and tamp, not volume, to the the needs of the Conti spring lever. Then all I need do is pull a couple for fine tuning. From there the normal quality suggestions apply!
Many Happy Pulls!
-Richard