Search found 125 matches

by kmills
April 22nd, 2015, 10:19 am
Forum: Knockbox
Replies: 28
Views: 1006

Could an Americano become a favored cup of brewed coffee?

I'm guessing Lagoon meant Celsius
by kmills
February 12th, 2015, 1:10 pm
Forum: Grinders
Replies: 13
Views: 5117

Why are conical burrs inherently bimodal?

Correct, figure 1 in the Horiba link introduces this concept. Laser scattering automatically and necessarily assumes a sphere, however. A mono-disperse population of oblong shapes will show a broad peak (or even bimodal) due to this; we found that this was a confounding aspect of measuring coffee an...
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by kmills
February 12th, 2015, 11:33 am
Forum: Grinders
Replies: 13
Views: 5117

Why are conical burrs inherently bimodal?

Below are two resources worth a read for anyone interested in particle size characterization. The take away is that the measurement technique (laser scattering) is not well suited to coffee's irregular shape and the analysis of the data is complex when considering both number and volume distribution...
by kmills
September 19th, 2014, 2:33 pm
Forum: Buying Advice
Replies: 26
Views: 2153

Espresso machine/grinder budget of $1500, concerned with build quality and longevity

+1 on the Silvano as well. I use it with a Vario. Lots of room for playing around too. I put a dimmer in for variable pressure but that will work for any vibe pump machine. Here is a link that covers a follow-on to my project and a link to my original work and inspiration : "Quick Mill Silvano
by kmills
August 12th, 2014, 2:34 pm
Forum: Grinders
Replies: 43
Views: 3825

Rice + Pharos = better espresso

I will happily perform SEM/optical tribologcal analysis on the burrs of two K10s. PM me if you wish to send two unused K10s and I will examine their cutting surfaces before and after I subject them to a consensus approved volume of coffee and rice. Ha!
by kmills
June 3rd, 2014, 3:59 pm
Forum: Coffee Roasting
Replies: 151
Views: 13101

Ethiopia DP Gr. 1 Yirga Cheffe Aricha-Current crop at Sweet Maria's

Any thoughts on using this for espresso? Jim S. talked about being able to make cordial-like-shots from coffees like this that are not typically espresso compatible in a video about pressure profiling his Strega. My Silvano is moded with a dimmer on the pump and can easily control the pressure in a ...
by kmills
March 24th, 2014, 8:18 pm
Forum: Espresso Machines
Replies: 122
Views: 53821

Custom espresso machine build

Hi Sean, great work and really cool project. What pump model are you using? I can't exactly match it up to ones on the fluid-o-tech website and it looks like you might have to buy the motor and pump separately. I also can't find any pricing info on their pumps. I put dimmer on my vibratory pump and ...
by kmills
March 13th, 2014, 9:15 am
Forum: Espresso Machines
Replies: 9
Views: 2002

Super Silvano: Modifying preinfusion pressure

Hmm, I may have to do that too. I have a PID on my crock pot for sous vide at the moment but only use it a few times a month at the most
by kmills
March 12th, 2014, 3:08 pm
Forum: Espresso Machines
Replies: 9
Views: 2002

Super Silvano: Modifying preinfusion pressure

I initially hoped to do the external 'pendant' approach Tom used but, based on the specifics of the Silvano, I was going to have to drill a hole anyway. The location of the spare internal space allowed me to put the knob in a convenient place; it turned out to be a lot cleaner just to mount internal...
by kmills
March 12th, 2014, 10:35 am
Forum: Espresso Machines
Replies: 9
Views: 2002

Super Silvano: Modifying preinfusion pressure

After using this mod for a week or so its clear that I can grind at least 6 fine steps finer on my vario using a preinfusion of 10-15 seconds at 1-2Bar. The longer the preinfusion the finer I can grind. The flow, however, gets quite fast at the end of the shot and dialing back the pressure allows