My morning Americani today give more indications of the character of the shots the Cremina pulls. These were made from a 2 day old Kona Kowali Farm roasted a good minute into 2nd crack. On Niccolo Amati I would use a double basket (and grind accordingly finer), use 33% more coffee and do a double pull. I get, when I get it right, great expression of the taste of Kona completeness and balance, in a structure of elegance. With Paul Klee I also use a double basket and the same amount of coffee but do only a single pull. I get more crema and it is darker. In the cup the taste is subtly different. The extra / stronger crema shows up in a richer texture and a heavier feel. Kona Americani in Niccolo Amati hve great flavor and are thin in body. Kona Americani in Paul Klee are heavier and maybe have slightly less clarity of flavor. I need to check this with other Konas and this batch on Niccolo Amati.

KS

Hey Karl-

Congrats on the new machine. Let me know if you want to add the pressure gauge, it's a nice complement to a custom machine.

I'm a fan of the DI handles, but liked a green tint, so I went with the Verawood on mine.

I'm interested in your comments about getting a better shot with the Cremina that the Elektra. I've never used a spring machine but always felt a bit dubious about letting the machine have any control other than heating the water. Maybe we should start a subgroup of completely manual machines!

I've been drinking nothing but Americani for the past few months, since I discovered some of the incredible Kenya Gethumbwini from Sweet Maria's.

Rod

Hi Rod,

I admit that I miss the pressure gauge. I rely on the one on my Elektra for generic information and would welcome the same data on the Olympia. At the moment I trust that the Olympia is in the normal range.

I thought your Verawood handles were perfect. Les had a pair of DI handles and I grabbed them because I know he struggles to keep up with orders. He is such a fine craftsman. With a manual lever I cannot imagine not having wood handles.

I hesitate to say the Cremina makes better shots than the Elektra. I honestly think the issue is more than the spring lever vs. a manual lever. I think it is the whole complex of engineering. I want and plan to keep both machines on the kitchen counter. I am getting permission from SWMBO. Each is special and neither is inherently better. My current obsession is the Cremina hence my hyperbolic praise.

I need to get some of the Kenya you mention. I find Americani to be perfect for beans that otherwise make poor espressi. My great current pleasure are these Kona's. They all make poor espressi but glorious Americani.

KS

KarlSchneider wrote:I need to get some of the Kenya you mention. I find Americani to be perfect for beans that otherwise make poor espressi. My great current pleasure are these Kona's. They all make poor espressi but glorious Americani.

KS

Here's an example of how varying lever profile can produce very different cup taste profile.

Tonight's coffee was Sweet Maria's Decaf Sumatra Mandheling roasted about 20 secs into 2nd.

The first shot was pulled with a fine grind to produce one lever pull of 1.5 oz. over 20 seconds. Heavy body, good crema production, but much too bitter to enjoy straight. It needed a splash of Grand Marnier to cut the bitterness and make an overall pleasant dessert shot. Even with the liqueur there was more than a hint of the earthiness and pungency of the Sumatra.

For the second shot I dialed the grinder almost 1 unit coarser. This allowed me to pull my "standard" lever shot: 10 second pull, then quickly up again and down for another 10 second pull but snatch the cup away at blonding. Now this was much better. No bitterness. A subtle blending of raisiny fruitiness and roast pungency with medium clarity, and moderate to light body and earthiness. A thinner layer of crema on top.

The first shot profile often works well for typical espresso blends like Sweet Maria's Monkey. The second profile works better for finicky SOs that are often marginal for espresso. An Americano is usually a surer thing with these coffees but once in a while it is fun to work with the lever profiles to find a pattern that will produce a special SO espresso.

Karl,

Olympia makes a gauge which replaces the screw top for the water fill. When I checked it was $150. Simple replacement and keeps the machine stock - and - puts the gauge directly in front of your eyes as you pull. When I checked they were in stock and available for shipping.

KarlSchneider wrote:Hi Rod,


KS

Paul Klee- OK, I'll admit the obvious- I haven't the foggiest... but it is also because I want to hear you say why you chose to call your new machine Paul Klee!!! Wait, I can imagine you now settling back in old leather club chair with perhaps a glass of sherry, port or scotch and you begin the tale of "The Paul Klee".....................................................

hperry wrote:Karl,

Olympia makes a gauge which replaces the screw top for the water fill. When I checked it was $150. Simple replacement and keeps the machine stock - and - puts the gauge directly in front of your eyes as you pull. When I checked they were in stock and available for shipping.

The gauge is a very nice tool and requires no modifications to the Cremina. I believe the price is actually $110, but should be checked with Olympia. The Cremina is so stable that a gauge is unnecessary. It is really more important as a service tool than for day to day use, but if you want a gauge on your machine, it is the way to go.

Marcus at Olympia quoted:

Boiler cap with
pressure manometer 0 -2.5 bar CHF 120.00

Shipping CHF 35.00

VAT Tax CHF 11.80

Total CHF 155.00


Or about $126 with shipping. You're right - I was remembering the Swiss Francs. Thanks for the correction.

I decided this evening that it was time for a first counter top taste comparison of Niccolo Amati and Paul Klee. I chose the likely-at-peak 4-day old Yemen Sana'ani. I decided to use Niccolo Amati as the starting point. The shot I pulled was around an 8.5/10. I say this based on so much recent experience. I know before I begin to taste the range I am in. This is based on amount of flow during pre-infusion, the time of lever rise and similar elements. It was a good shot but not perfect.

In the mouth my first impression was that it was a slightly over-roasted coffee. Then I remembered that indeed the weight after roast was 1-2 g below optimal. On the whole, however, very good. Lacking in the best clarity of Yemen. Just a tad dull. Due I think to over roasting.

Then I pulled the first one of the day from Paul Klee. The gods once again like to laugh. While I have no built up experience with this machine I thought the pull was a bit too hard but not as bad as I have had. It took lots of pressure but not an extreme amount. In the cup I found my second one of crema all the way to the bottom. When all was gone there was still a beautiful inner cup of brown coating the inside of the Illy Rosenthal Pistoletto I was using. Wonderful cup. But no note of over-roast. The richness of the crema covered over the individual character.

Second cup from Paul Klee. I tried to repeat the pure crema. Ha! I got no drips in pre-infusion as before but the pushing down of the lever was easier and went faster. I got still far better crema than with Niccolo Amati but not as much as before. I could see black in the cup after my first sip. With the first pull there was all crema on top after sips 1 & 2. The taste was also in between. Not as soft and more singular coffee taste. But still no hint of the over-roast.

Simple conclusion: I am comparing apples and oranges. Or, for those who have tasted: de Montille Volnay and Domaine de Chevalier Graves. Different but not better or worse.

KS

mogogear wrote:Paul Klee- OK, I'll admit the obvious- I haven't the foggiest... but it is also because I want to hear you say why you chose to call your new machine Paul Klee!!! Wait, I can imagine you now settling back in old leather club chair with perhaps a glass of sherry, port or scotch and you begin the tale of "The Paul Klee".....................................................

OK mo, you did ask.

It starts easily enough. The machine is Swiss and so is Paul Klee. I also could (and may yet) make a case for Alberto Giacometti, I love his small bronze sculptures. I see the Cremina as sculptural. Sort of like a ballerina in a pose.



But I love the art of Paul Klee. And I also have Swiss ancestry. My middle name is of those shepherds / cheesemakers who take cows into the Swiss mountains in the summer and live in these:



But it is the art of Klee that is the essential thing. This morning on NPR someone was talking about baseball and teaching kids to play baseball by "living in the moment" and not living in some other place or time. The art of Klee is simple yet astonishing. When you stand in front of one of his paintings you have to be there in the moment and no place else. Watching the ball you need to hit as it comes at you. Espresso is like that for me. To make good espresso, especially on a lever I have to live in the moment and in no other. If I manage I can pull glorious shots. Let my mind drift off and I will get appropriate espresso.

There is more. For tomorrow.

KS