I received my Gaggia Pure today..

I returned my Breville 250XL on the advice I received from those in the know, and spent an extra $50 on a Gaggia Pure..

I would have spent an extra $250-300 on a Classic, but money is tight, and I thought I'd be better served buying a good espresso grinder for that money..

I must admit at first glance I liked my Breville better.. The Gaggia's exterior is plastic and rather flimsy looking, and the water reservoir is much smaller..

But, if the money saved on the exterior finish went instead towards better guts, then that's all for the better..

I like the fact that the portafilter isn't pressurized, is a standard size, and that there is no "crema enhancer" stuff..

I also like that I can adjust the steam pressure on the wand.

VERY, VERY impressed with the Lelit grinder.. Ye Gods, what a difference what a difference from my relatively cheap ($100) Capresso grinder!! The grind is fluffy, no clumps, and very consistent.. It's night and day..

I tried a shot..

I dunno what I did wrong, but the pull was sputtering a bit, and while there was no blonding at all (it was dark all the way through) there was no crema..

I weighed the beans with a digital scale, then put the portafilter under the grinder chute added a layer, then shook it around till it was even, then added another layer, etc until there were no more grounds to be had.. Then I cleaned around the sides a bit, gave it a light tamp, then a little harder one with a polish.. NO tap.. I turned the portafilter upside down because I saw a barista do that once, then put it in the machine..

What would be the most likely culprit for the lack of crema? Beans (Starbucks French Roast), grind (do I need to go still finer?), tamp?

The puck afterwords was solid and firm (didn't want to come out.. had to use my finger), though there appeared to be some pitting, if I've indeed identified this (see image) as a problem, and labeled it correctly..



Also, if I WERE to get a bottomless portafilter.. what would that help, diagnostics-wise, besides show that the pull was screwed up?

Thanks!!


PS added by moderator: Same question cross-posted to Coffeegeek here.

I will do it this time...

Any beans you have gotten from Starbucks have three problems.

1. They are WAY stale. Anything more than 2 weeks after coming out of the roaster is not going to work for Espresso. No matter how they are bagged, sitting on the shelf or in a delivery warehouse has ruined any chance you may have had with these beans.

2. Starbucks turn their beans into charcoal. Lets just say their roasting is not anywhere in the top 1/2 of roasters today.

3. You gave Starbucks more money. Just sad

I suggest you take a stroll to the top of this site and look at a few of the sponsors. They are some of the best coffee people around and will get you fresh beans to your door on command.

And don't skimp on the bean order when you are starting your learning, you can toss them in a mason jar or a vacuum seal bag in the freezer. This will let you stretch a order out over that 2 week bit above... If you get them up there the day they arrive. The timer starts when you take them back out again.

Better to have several pounds of beans you know are good and are starting to learn to pull for training. Less surprises that way.

That is about it for the standard bean speech. Please look at the Espresso 101 bit in the FAQ section also.

Welcome and best of drinks to you!

-Cecil

Sorry, should have mentioned that I bought 10 lbs of green Tanzanian Peaberry from the Green Beanery (I'm Cdn), and plan to roast them with a hot air popper (thinking medium dark - dark)..

I just wanted to use all the Starbucks stuff up..

It IS very, very balck and glossy.. I see why people call them charbucks.. I DO like dark roasts, though.. And I hear they are necessary for espresso..

But I'll see what happens when I use fresh roasted stuff, thanks!

I've noticed that the Tanzanian Peaberry roasts I've done can build up quite a momentum and rocket through first crack and into second if your not careful. I think it's the smaller, rounder beans or the density, but you'll want to watch when you roast these that it doesn't get away from you.

Good to know, thanks!

dougz wrote:What would be the most likely culprit for the lack of crema? Using Starbucks French Roast...

What date was it "freshly scooped" on?

Sorry, we get lots of "no crema" complaints and the response is invariably the same: Is the coffee fresh? Do you have a decent grinder? And the occasional outlier, have you checked the brew pressure? [low brew pressure = less crema]

With these basics checked off, producing espresso with ample crema is a no-brainer. Then we can move onto more interesting questions like "How did it taste?"

dougz wrote:I DO like dark roasts, though.. And I hear they are necessary for espresso..

I've had a few skillfully roasted dark coffees (e.g., Paradise Roasters Havana Reserve, which unfortunately is sold out). I'm no home roaster, but I've read enough to know espresso is roasted more slowly to increase caramelization for sweetness. That doesn't mean it needs to be roasted dark.

HB wrote:And the occasional outlier, have you checked the brew pressure? [low brew pressure = less crema]

As far as I know, the entry level Gaggias (my Espresso included, but not sure about the Pure) are known to be adjusted to a higher brew pressure (around 12bar, afaik, for the ESE pod certification) with a factory set, non-adjustable OPV. What that means for the OP: use some fresh beans (I would suggest starting with a known good espresso blend, confirming that you've got the fundamentals down, and then exploring home roasting - I would be and am fearful of the number of variables in starting off with espresso brewing and espresso roasting at the same time) and in your case there should be no pressure issue.

Do you have access to 49th Parallel Roasters? I've heard good things on these (and CG) boards.

A tip for Le'Lit grinder use (in my experience): I removed my PF clip and I spin the basket with my thumb while the PF is pressed against the button. This takes care of a good distribution (because, as you noticed, there is essentially no clumping) so all you're left to do is confirm the mass of the grounds (which is easy, because you can place an empty basket on your scale and tare it before grinding, then grind into the basket in the PF, then weigh and add more coffee as needed), level, and tamp.

Good luck! Enjoy the setup - what I consider to be the perfect balance of performance and price. Given a choice between my SJ and Le'Lit - I take the Le'Lit!

(Dan - I realize that you mentioned brew pressure as the outlier and for the sake of completeness, and I realize that the issue here is likely the beans/freshness. I do agree with that, and I just wanted to shed some light on the pressure issue to further rule that out for this situation.)

Doug, have you experimented with temperature yet?

Hey Doug. Great choice on your new gear. With some fresh beans, you should be able to pull some great shots with that setup.

I have a Gaggia Baby, which is similar to yours, except mine has the 3 way solenoid (which, to my knowledge, has no real effect on shot quality.)

As has been mentioned, these new Gaggia's brew at a pressure of around 11 bars, which is high. I've found I can pull some really great shots with my machine, even though my grinder was far lower quality than yours. The trick for me was to updose, to counteract the high brew pressure. I dose around 20-22g and adjusted grind accordingly. That's been working great for me.

A couple of roasters worth trying are:

49th Parallel, in BC
Fratello, in Calgary
Cupper's, in Lethbridge - This is my favorite. I use their Rocket Brand Espresso as my main blend. Their shipping is a little cheaper than the others.

Good luck!

Do you have access to 49th Parallel Roasters?

I do now! (bookmarked)

Unfortunately my wife would kill me if I ordered more beans now, as I just barely convinced her that these 10 lbs of green beans will last a long time, so I won't have to buy any more..

So hopefully I chose well.. LOL

Shouldn't have bought so much of one bean..

because you can place an empty basket on your scale and tare it before grinding, then grind into the basket in the PF, then weigh and add more coffee as needed), level, and tamp.

Like I say, and I dunno, but this sounds easier to me, I just put 14-16 grams of beans into the grinder, then grind, shake, grind, shake, etc. till there's no more beans.. That way I don't have to try and weigh the portafilter (awkward)..

Is the pie method better than the layer method?

Good luck! Enjoy the setup - what I consider to be the perfect balance of performance and price.

Great choice on your new gear.

Thanks fellas.. I do think I would have been happier with the Classic as far as external finishing and larger water reservoir.. But oh well, that can be my upgrade down the road.. Or a Silvia..

Doug, have you experimented with temperature yet?

How can I affect brew temp? Doesn't the machine regulate that?