I am a Rancilio Silvia user from Mexico City. I just thought i'd introduce myself.

Sincerely,
Gardoni

hey!

Dan was nice enough to put me on this thread. I am new to this forum and look forward to learning a lot from all of you. Thanks

Also, I am excited today because i almost got a rosetta design this morning! Maybe tomorrow...

sincerely,
Gardoni

Glad to have you out of the shadows Gardoni!

If you want to share a picture of your rosetta, feel free to post here or on Rate my rosetta. I added my humble attempt to the site below. Although I've never nailed the consistency of pro baristas, at least our guests recognize that the pattern is intentional with an occasional "Ooooooh nice, is that a fern?"


Vote for me! Vote for me!

Nice Dan!

Well. I can't say that my attempt this morning even begins to look like this. Maybe I should try for an apple....then we'll see.
By the way, I voted for you.

Thanks again,
Gardoni

Hey!!!

I finally got my first Rosetta. What do you guys think??

sincerely,
Gardoni

Nice coloring, looks tasty.

However, the rosetta looks a bit forced, i.e., like you are trying to trace the shape of the leaves. It's hard to describe, but try stretching a little less (so the milk isn't quite so foamy) and pouring faster. When you want the "dot" to begin, lower the tip of the pitcher as close as you can to the surface of the milk. You can encourage the milk foam to glide across the top of the crema by giving a brief slosh of milk from the back of the pitcher.

Well, that's the best I can offer, my skills are pretty weak in latte art...

Thanks Dan!

These are great suggestions. I will try them out tomorrow.

Happy New Year!

Sincerely,
Gardoni

I hope this doesn't become too boring. First rosetta attempt of 2007!



sincerely,
Gardoni

I will admit it, I am a lurker.
I am a computer geek by trade. My hobbies include fly fishing, RC precision aerobatics, photography, and cooking. With all my hobbies I have found bulletin boards a great source of information and amusement. The reason that I lurk is that most of my questions can be answered by searching the boards, and watching others discuss the finer points of the hobby/passion. If I were knowledgeable enough to add to a discussion I would. I don't believe building a post count for the sake of it serves anyones best interest.
With that said, I have been a coffee drinker for years. Started when I was 16; early mornings before fishing. Stopped buying canned coffee long ago and started using a cheap grinder and store bought beans. Fast forward, I love the coffee flavor and smell. I currently drink coffee from a french press at home and buy Americanos, and Cappa's. when I am out and about. I would love to try a good shot of espresso but I have not seen one made that even comes close to following any of the techniques described on these boards. I can taste the difference in the Americanos and cappa's that I drink when I know the shot is really bad. I would love to find a known source of a good shot up here and give it a try but I will have to most likely wait until I travel to the lower 48. I am in the process of selecting equipment for the house. I believe I have narrowed down my choices, but trying to decide on plumbed rotary pump or pour over. The grinder will be my first purchase, MACAP M4 or Mini Mazzer.
I will keep lurking, learning and enjoying the obsession we call espresso

Regards
Michael

Welcome out of the shadows, Michael.

Fishgod wrote:The reason that I lurk is that most of my questions can be answered by searching the boards, and watching others discuss the finer points of the hobby/passion.

I was a long-time lurker at one time and now I'm at the opposite extreme. The biggest difference my choice to delurk made was challenging myself to think of my own novel discussion topics and not rely on others to pick them. I'm reminded of an exchange where Chris Tacy (malachi) was complaining about the dullness of recent topics, to which I replied "If you're not leading the discussion, you have no right to complain about how it proceeds." My mild rebuke prompted him to start some of the most intriguing threads on this board, e.g., The E61 Group - Truth and Lies.

I'm still a little weirded out by the unbounded nature of the Internet. On the other hand, there's something really cool about sharing my thoughts with an Alaskan fisherman, just like that. My kids are young and were amazed, especially since I happen to read them the story of Balto the dog just the other day ("You know someone from Alaska?!? Is that near New York?" ... gotta work on the geography lessons).

Fishgod wrote:I believe I have narrowed down my choices, but trying to decide on plumbed rotary pump or pour over.

No question, I vote plumbed in.