Are you saying you couldn't get the flavors, etc. described, or that you just didn't like it?

I couldn't get the flavors. Sorry for not being clearer with my description. My best shots were bland and boring. The worst were bitter and tasted like a poor quality commercial coffee if that makes sense. Maybe I just don't like the coffee though (as you may have intentionally intimated).

aaespresso wrote:Maybe I just don't like the coffee though (as you may have intentionally intimated).

I didn't mean to suggest one or the other. Thanks for the clarification. Do you know/recall what temperatures you were pulling at? I'd guess pulling it too hot might get you something like that (bland, dull shots at higher flows to more bitter shots as you tighten it up).

I pulled it from 199 F up to 202 F. Not a huge range but I didn't notice much taste swing. I was also using the posts here as a guide i.e. flow is the way to manipulate flavors. That's on my Duetto II with a PID offset of 18 F. I can only guess what the actual brew temperature was as Michigan's weather has been all the way from 60 to 90 degrees over the last week and 1/2. I know ambient temperatures will swing that big exposed E-61 brew temperature a couple degrees. Do you find the Ambrosia to be sensitive to small temperature shifts?

Ambrosia was always my pick for the least temp sensitive blend, and the bags I've tried always worked for a range of grinds and doses too. I guess there's a chance that the blend has changed some since I last tried it (a couple months ago maybe). But regardless of what's in the Blend I would guess you should be able to get some good roast flavors (caramels, chocolates, etc.) that are presents in just about all of Caffe Fresco's blends.

Also, how long since it was roasted, again these blends usually seem to like longer resting periods, and also have given good shots for awhile longer then most, I've gotten good shots at over 14 days (if they last that long).

Re : Vivace Dolce - Thanks to Malachi.

I only attempt milk drinks a couple times a year, usually end up with a cup full of milky coffee.

After pulling a too fast/ long shot with Dolce, I tried a macchiato, based on his description.

Well, sort of, I didn't want to try steaming with the kids asleep so I nuked an ounce of milk in a baby bottle, shook, and added it and a 1/4 t. of sugar to two ounces of espresso.

It was late at night and the drink was almost too rich : marshmallow and cream thick all the way to the bottom, quite sweet with a tiny bit of bite, and cocoa, very delicious.

Thanks!

aaespresso wrote:I pulled it from 199 F up to 202 F. Not a huge range but I didn't notice much taste swing. I was also using the posts here as a guide i.e. flow is the way to manipulate flavors. That's on my Duetto II with a PID offset of 18 F. I can only guess what the actual brew temperature was as Michigan's weather has been all the way from 60 to 90 degrees over the last week and 1/2. I know ambient temperatures will swing that big exposed E-61 brew temperature a couple degrees. Do you find the Ambrosia to be sensitive to small temperature shifts?

OT : The swing is more than a couple of degrees. Suggest setting PID offset to 0 and install Eric's thermometer adapter to adjust group idle temperature.

Jason Molinari posted on CG that he changed his offset from 18°F to 13°F.

Seems that my new duetto did not need all of 18 deg. F offset.

I started pulling shots with the temp display at 200...tasted burned. 197, better but still not great, 195...tasty!.
Went backwards and used Dave's method to test if my water flash boiled if i set the PID to 212. It did. IT also flash boiled at 211, 210, 209 and 208. Stopped at 207. I lowered my offset from +18 to +13.
Tested flash boil again. 211 no flash, 212 tiny bit, 213 yes. Good, great.

Pulled another shot this time with PID set at 199. Tasty......

Just a heads up for people getting their duetto....

from Coffee Geek : Discussions > Espresso > Machines > Izzo - Duetto

I received my first order of Ambrosia 2 weeks ago, and really had to try to pull a bad shot. Eric's thermometer is on my holiday wish list so I can't give an accurate temp, but I was dosing 18gr for a double and using my regular flush and go. I varied from cooler to hotter and only when I did a very short flush and pulled a shot did I get unacceptable bitterness. It's now my wife's favorite for her lattes.

Ed

I ordered some Ambrosia just after the reviews were posted. It arrived promptly, after only a couple of days I think, but there was no roast date on the package. However, I think the coffee must have been roasted either the day it was shipped or the day before because it pulled very much like just-roasted coffee (big bubbles in the crema.) Has anyone else received bags with a roast date?

As the reviewers suggested, I found it pretty easy to pull good shots with a variety of shot parameters. But I wasn't particularly impressed. Sort of a strange combination of acidic and chocolate with a hint of sourness and bitterness. I didn't really get much cola flavor. I froze the rest.

Last week I fished a jar of Ambosia out of the freezer and, on a whim, decided to pull it ristretto. That really brought out the cherry cola flavor, mainly in the aftertaste, and there was much more complexity in the cup. The dose was 14g, temp 196.5, about 14g extraction weight, about 1 oz. It's kind of a neat drink that I've been enjoying for a couple of weeks now. At times the aftertaste is uncannily like the aftertaste of classic Coca Cola, which I haven't had in years (when I do indulge in cola, which is rare, I drink diet Pepsi.)

Not sure Ambrosia is going to make my regular rotation, but I'm considering it. The only other blend in this review that has made the cut is Ecco.

Pretty sure caffe fresco usually puts a roast date