brokemusician77 wrote:Comments like these, although cathartic for you, really don't help to address the issues I'm facing. Nor do they encourage newbies like me to continue our efforts to improve our knowledge and technique by seeking out other users.
Thanks.
In regards to your coffee, you can pour water into the gas tank of a Ferrari, and while it still has the Ferrari logo on the hood its performance will be decidedly negated. The same with an espresso machine. The use of questionable coffee is going to make comments on any level of questionable value. Stale coffee dramatically will change the taste of the coffee- that should be obvious, but it will also dramatically affect the extraction process itself.
And two days of practice...? I have been at it for years and am still learning... a LOT! Making espresso is not simple, nor can the process be simply described in words.
Please, read my article on making espresso I linked above... here it is again:
- go to my website:
http://www.EspressoMyEspresso.com - Bookmark the main page, then:
- look in the RIGHT hand column for the "How To" section
- read #12: "HOME BARISTA'S GUIDE TO MAKING QUALITY ESPRESSO"
It is well over 12 typed pages of information that I wrote with folks like you specifically in mind. Read it and it WILL help you A LOT. There are many points to your original post that reflect that you have a long way to go. That's fine. We all start somewhere. Take the initiative to help find and solve some of your own problems. There are also many nuances to the process that you have not described that it would be hard for us to assist. Making espresso is not like warming a meal of leftovers in a microwave. The creation of Espresso is an art with many nuances.
As far as your in-depth research, most of us have been stating that you should not do your step #4:
"4. Gently tap the portafilter with the handle of the tamper."
And what does, "Tamp the beans at around 30-40lbs pressure," mean? have you actually used a scale? Does the tamping force matter? If you had done the research and reading around this site you would know that it does not matter. Anything from around 15 to 55 pounds will yield about the same result.
I have not spent the last 8 + years creating a non-commercial website filled with hundreds of pages of information, all designed to entertain and educate to sit and take that kid of attitude from anyone. The inference there is that you expect us to help you but you evidently have not taken the time to help yourself, then get pissed at our answers. If you want to learn, fine- open your mind and get educated. But if you want to continue the pissy attitude, good luck. Take the time to help yourself and have some patience and you will eventually improve to the capability level of your equipment. Now THAT was cathartic.
Will I be hearing from Dan? Operators are standing by!
