cexshun wrote:I know I'm never going to get something as good, or probably even close. ....

Begin by considering that, in just one day, the coffee shop probably pulls more espresso from just one group then you do in a month. Beyond the experience that such a volume affords the barista, it also allows them adjust the grind and dose with more precision to match the other parameters.

Their equipment is adjustable and controllable to an extent that yours is not. One click on a Rocky is worth about 6 seconds of extraction, so if you are lucky you have maybe two choices for an espresso grind. They are using stepless grinders that have better burrs, more precise alignment of the burrs, better burrs, and far more selection on grind.

Their espresso machines have adjustments for temperature control as well as superior design for superior temperature consistency from pull to pull. These machines also have superior water delivery rates and pressures as well as better dispersion.

Even if you use the same coffee beans they do, they have the option to get a blend and roast that meets their own requirements as well as the ability to match all the above-mentioned adjustments to that blend and roast, and/or to match the blend and roast to their equipment.

So, can you get close? Maybe, occasionally, if you get lucky. And there is the rub. Even if you get close for a shot, how did you do it? What was the water temperature on that extraction when you hit the target? Can you dose, distribute, and tamp exactly as you did the last time?

So excellent espresso is a synergistic experience where all the factors meet, and that meeting spot is very small. I say all this, speaking from home-barista experience. I went from a Rocky/Silvia (very comparable to your setup), and later added a PID to the Silvia. That rig served me for 6½ years. From there I went to a Vibiemme Domobar Super and Mazzer Kony. The difference was dramatic from the first day.

So why bother sharing all that? The setup you have now will give you valuable experience towards narrowing the parameters as close as you can. To gain more control, you need to get a gram scale capable of .1 gram (or even .01 grams). No sweetness and little mouthfeel could be a distribution problem. I recommend a bottomless portafilter so you can watch what is going on DURING the extraction. This will reveal proper distribution. Look up the "teflon tape mod" for Rocky as it will help stabilize the upper burr. It reportedly can even allow a "mid-click" setting. Rocky is also known for its clumping and dense grind, so look up WDT (Weiss Distribution Technique). Finally, the temperature control problems on the Gaggia will be the greatest barrier between you and better espresso. It's not just the Gaggia but all entry-level machines (even Silvia) the thermostats they use have a wide range so the addition of a PID somewhere down the line will help. If you are handy you can kludge one together or just buy an entire kit. The only thing left is the time to get the experience to really know that setup and learn how to best control it.

With the above tips, you may want to get an extra pound of coffee some day and sit for an hour or three and just keep pulling shots with the attitude of a scientist.

Espresso is a journey with an ever-changing destination. Enjoy the trip.

A naked shot without PF has little to no steam. At least I cannot recall any steam. If I flush a full 2oz to preheat the cup then pull a shot, I do get sour results. Since then, I've avoided flushing altogether and the sourness has disappeared.

I did 18g for a little while, but it was going blond on me around 1.5oz. I'll probably take a hole saw to my PF this weekend and see if I may be having channeling issues. The pucks seems to have excellent integrity when I dump it, but I don't have an eye for those kinds of things yet.

cexshun wrote:A naked shot without PF has little to no steam. At least I cannot recall any steam. If I flush a full 2oz to preheat the cup then pull a shot, I do get sour results. Since then, I've avoided flushing altogether and the sourness has disappeared.

I did 18g for a little while, but it was going blond on me around 1.5oz. I'll probably take a hole saw to my PF this weekend and see if I may be having channeling issues. The pucks seems to have excellent integrity when I dump it, but I don't have an eye for those kinds of things yet.

Sounds like you are already learning. The sour shot came from too-cool of water temperature as you discovered.

Disregard the blonding. Look for changes in viscosity. You will see the stream go from viscous to watery and thin. Keep a demitasse spoon at the machine and sample the stream at different times through the extraction. You should discover that the stream early is very strong, and while the end stream is thin in body it does not taste bad.

Depending on the scale you are using, 18 grams can mean a lot of things. I have found that in my machine 15.2 grams works well, but 15.8 is too much. Being that a scale with 1 gram resolution can give such a wide range of actual mass, if you want to be accurate get a scale that can measure .1 gram steps.

Examining pucks after extraction is not a valuable endeavor at all, and little to nothing is learned. After all, you drink the espresso and do not eat the puck...

The hard part for me is telling the difference between watery thin and what I call the foamy part of the pour where it's just straight foam coming from the spouts. Maybe I'll pull a 4oz shot just to see the shot develop from beginning to end to get a really good idea of when it "ends". Hopefully I can get a video posted this evening and someone can point out visual cues of where things are going well/bad.

I do need a better scale though. 1g accuracy was fine for FP, but is a bit lacking for espresso.

It is easier to tell when to stop the shot with a naked PF too.

When you pull the shot, a cone should develope a little into the shot. When the cone starts to collapse (get smaller), then it is time to stop the shot.

BTW, right now I am dosing most shots at 18g, and I can pull a couple oz before blonding, but this was not always the case in the past.

Randy

OK, brought the dose down to 18g. Consequently, had to bring the grind down 3 clicks to keep it from pulling too fast. The video didn't turn out, but here are some pics. The glass is sitting on a sheet of all purpose copy paper for color calibration purposes. I must say, the WDT has significantly improved the shots.

OK, pulled another shot. Got video this time. It went a little long because I ran out of monkey blend and had to finish it off with fresh Black Cat. Black Cat seems to require 1 or 2 clicks higher on the grinder.



And the finished product.