Newbie looking for crema

Beginner and pro baristas share tips and tricks for making espresso.
Griddleguy
Posts: 1
Joined: 2 years ago

#1: Post by Griddleguy »

Hi all newbie here looking to learn the skills to have the ability to enjoy a good espresso from home. Have a DeLonghi ec702( I realize entry level) been playing around but no luck with a nice crema. Bought coffee from a local roaster. Told her my machine but didn't seem to matter to her. They just fresh ground me what they called espresso. I weighed out 6g tamped and no crema. So far tried using hot water in reservoir and different tamping pressures. Puck comes out very solid either way. Does the pressure porta filter pack it? Is it necessary for a lighter tamp? I see some remove pressure spring. Will this help? Any advice greatly appreciated. Latte's and cappuccino are good but straight shot a tad bitter.

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HB
Admin
Posts: 21983
Joined: 19 years ago

#2: Post by HB »

Griddleguy wrote:They just fresh ground me what they called espresso.
Preground coffee = stale coffee => dull, lifeless, crema-free espresso. You can use a pressurized portafilter to create "fake crema", but the taste will be the same. You simply can't make better than mediocre espresso [and that's being generous] without fresh coffee and a grinder.
Dan Kehn

walr00s
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Posts: 353
Joined: 3 years ago

#3: Post by walr00s »

TLDW: Not enough pressure and/or beans aren't fresh enough and don't have enough CO2