Hello,

i just got my new equipment, a Isomac Millenium and a Demoka Mini Moka M203 grinder.

I am using Hausbrandt Nonnetti at the moment, most places rate it at a medium strength and more or less ideal for Cappuccino. That is what i drink most.

I am using 18grams of coffee for two Cappuccini. Extraction time is around 25 seconds till it blonds and gets a little bit transparent. Coffee is coming out like honey, quite pleasing to watch, nice crema also. I think some tiger-striping is also going on, the darker and lighter streams mingle a little bit. Machine heats for minimum 1 hour before i pull the first shot.

What am i doing wrong? The Cappuccino i get is a bit on the weak side, although not bad in taste, the typical espresso edge is missing, it tastes more like a good coffee with cream or something.

Do i overextract when waiting for the shot to go a little bit transparent?
Should i use more coffee?

what does it taste like when not combined with milk?

The Espresso tastes good. No sourness or over-bitterness.

Combined with milk, it does not really taste like cappuccino, if you know what i mean, there is a certain "bitterness" ( i do not know how to call it other than that) missing.

It tastes more like coffee with milk or cream as i said above. Of course there are milder espresso blends also, but from what i have been reading, Hausbrandt Nonnetti is pretty good for making milk drinks.

sounds like either you have too much milk to espresso for your taste - or that the espresso you're using doesn't cut through the milk enough for your taste.

easy fixes - in either case.
either change the ratio of espresso to milk, or switch coffees.

OK, so you think, my espresso brewing technique might not be entirely wrong?

Right now it is 11pm here, but i will try it tomorrow.

I feel a little bit ashamed because of the "easy" answers, but coffee making on this level is both exciting and challenging for a newbie

I'd go for switching beans.... maybe try a single origin bean. They tend to stand out more in cappuccinos than espresso blends.

Gabe

Not to be a curmudgeon - but as much of a fan of SO espresso as I am, I would suggest something different in this case (like simply switching to a different blend).

cnhoff wrote:Do i overextract when waiting for the shot to go a little bit transparent?
Should i use more coffee?

My memories of the cappucini I got in Scwaebischland were of a bit over-extracted, and a bit of a hot pull, too. Most of what I got there were super-autos, and were trying to imitate cafe Wien. Either use a bit less milk (and remember, proper frothing will help to let the true nature of the coffee come through) adjust your technique for a less-than-stellar pull to give you that edge, or get used to the capps that you're drinking. Trying different beans could also be a good solution, and being so close to Vienna and so close to Italy, you should be able to find some great fresh roasted alternatives.
Tschüß!

It will still be helpful if you can advise us of the milk to espresso ratio. If it's currently at 5 to 1 or 6 to 1 ratio then try reducing milk to a 2 to 1 ratio as a starting point and work your way back up to the correct milk/espresso balance.

That said... there are some blends that produce a smooth and pleasant espresso shot with distinct characteristics but wither and become bland or insipid with much milk.

I ve tasted Lavazza Crema E Aroma . Its the best espresso with milk i had tasted for now. The strange thing is that the coffee alone is the worst coffee i had ever drinked.

if it tastes good to you as a straight espresso and the shots you pulled for cappas were done the same way - then as I see it there are two possibilities:

1) Milk to espresso ratio may have too much milk - and for my personal taste the right ratio is about 1.5 ounces/45 ml of espresso to about 4.5 oz/145 ml milk. That 1 to 3 ratio works well for my taste - usually.

2) The blend you're using may perform well as a straight espresso or even as a machiatto but might be too retrained and subtle to make a good cappa. I sometimes find blends that just don't hold up well in my favored 1 to 3 ratio and I just reduce the amount of milk in the drink.

How soft/hard is your water?

I changed my brita filter in my aquaquell purity a couple of weeks ago, and I did the math and realised that I had it set to produce 25ppm water. I increased the softener bypass to 20% to give 50ppm, and wow, so much more body in the cup. I would rate the espresso as four times better than before.

Before, I was getting beautiful clarity of flavours, but the tongue-coating body was missing. Check your water!