HB wrote:Besides, if I had brought in a humongous grinder like the Mazzer Major into our kitchen and plunked it down next to a small espresso machine like my old Silvia, I would have developed heatstroke under my wife's glare. If one wishes to retain some level of marital bliss, one must move slowly...

So very easy to deal with that. After your third of fourth coffee, and all your, "Yummmyyyy," and, "Mmmmm" exclamations, and continually walking past her, cup in hand so she can sample the aroma, she says,

"Don't I get one?"

"SURE! But I thought you didn't like the grinder, so I figured you didn't want any."

One sip and they're hooked! Worked with my VBM and again with my Kony!

Er, thanks Randy, but my wife doesn't drink coffee. Fortunately for me, she is exceedingly tolerant of my many encroachments on her kitchen space.

HB wrote:Er, thanks Randy, but my wife doesn't drink coffee. Fortunately for me, she is exceedingly tolerant of my many encroachments on her kitchen space.

Really now! I thought I was the only one running solo on this quest. My GF made it very clear to me (after I had bought most of my gear) she would not drink anymore coffee, that my coffee ruined her day (odd, I don't remember such a statement when paying for it) and that I should buy her more stuff since I am spending it on myself (!). Fortunately, I own my house, she makes as much as I do and lives elsewhere during the week.


Hey Randy, the band link didn't work on my CPU . I did get to your face-book however. I used to play till my lips bled back in my musical days. Those damn marine band separators are made of wood and soaking would cause them to expand out of the housing. I still got a bunch of Lee Oskars kicking around here somewhere. The last jamming I was doing was to Blues traveler but that was a while ago ; ). You are not that far from me (over by Chico?) I will have to come by and have you humble me at the cup

Jef

Pulled a nice shot of decaf today (I know, I know). 25 sec., "mouse tails", nice crema, the whole bit. Hit the sweet spot bang on. No bitterness or sourness. Unfortunately, the beans must be stale, because there was nothing left in the middle. It was smooth, and I was able to drink it straight, but it tasted pretty bland. Almost watery. Still a nice warm drink, and a vast improvement over the old Hamilton Beach. Decaf through that thing was bitter and metallic.

I've been using the WDT, and have found it does make a difference.

Starting to feel much more at home on this machine. However, I am experiencing similar woes to every other Gaggia owner with regard to steaming. I think my old Hamilton Beach did a better job in that department. Oh well, one more thing to get the hang of. I know there's lots of posts on here about steaming with a Gaggia, so I'll just consult those for tips.

I cannot for the life of me, steam on my Promac. I was beginning to think it was me or the milk (or both) but last night my Dad came over so I booted up the Pavoni after pulling shots on the Promax (and espresso'ing my disdain for the steam on the Promax) then pulled a tight one with the Pavoni (almost broke the lever off ) and steamed up a frothy pitcher of milk effortlessly. I hope you have better luck on your Gaggia.
If not pick up a broken Pavoni with a good boiler and a steam wand!

Ha ha. Well, I've read about a lot of users who've removed the panarello wand and who just use the nozzle. I've seen at least two videos of people doing this and then pouring some nice rosettes. So there's hope. Lots more technique involved this way, but I guess if I wanted to take the easy route, I would have bought a super-automatic, with a milk island. No thanks!!

I just frothed up some soy milk with the Pavoni! What a champ! I may have to go back to lever only again.

I've been steaming without the panarello wand, just the tip, and it makes a huge difference. It requires some finesse, but I'm sure I'll be able to start experimenting with Latte art soon. First, I need to get some proper cups. I'm sure it's much easier if you have the wide cups, like in a cafe. Presently, I'm using a tall glass to serve Lattes in. They look fine but all my pours start a 3-4 inches above the surface of the espresso, and the rim is quite narrow.

With regard to shots, I read through the article "The Home Barista's Guide to Espresso" in the How-Tos section on this site, and paid particular attention to the section on shot diagnostics. I've been experimenting with ristrettos, lungos, center cuts, etc. Fascinating. I just got a bag of fresh beans and I'm really having fun with this now.

k

From the first post...

brokemusician77 wrote:I've had a very frustrating first two days with this setup and need some help.

And most recent post...

brokemusician77 wrote:I just got a bag of fresh beans and I'm really having fun with this now.

Boys, looks like our work here is done.

Yeah, you guys have been great. Maybe tonight I'll conclude this thread by pulling some shots and posting some pics.

I definitely feel I'm getting the hang of this setup. Although it's not ideal, it's definitely beginning to work for me (or I'm beginning to learn how to work with it).

I'm so glad for this forum. Good work folks!!

k