Hi all--I'm new to this site, and in search of help. In 2003, I bought a Gaggia Carezza, and a Solis Maestro grinder, and began my quest for espresso nirvana. Initially, I read up on the 'golden rule', and even got out the bathroom scale to make sure I knew what 30 lbs. of pressure felt like. After four years, I'm no closer to my goal than when I started, and now I'm finally seeking the help I need. You people are fanatical, and I think you can help me (btw, I'm as fanatical about pizza as you all are about coffee, so I know where you're coming from).

So, my Solis is set on an extremely fine grind, and it is pretty much consistent day in and day out. It's also NOT adjustable as the cheap tabs that hold the hopper on have long since busted. But as I said, it's a very fine, consistent grind. When I first bought the machine, I paid $30 or so for a high quality, heavy tamper somewhere out of Seattle. It's flat-bottomed. I always make double shots--no singles. I neither weigh nor measure the amount of espresso I use (which I'm certain is a mistake). I usually grind enough to fill my portafilter over the edge slightly, tamp once with medium pressure....then knock a few times, then do a final tamp at/around 30 lbs., and do a no-pressure twist to polish. Then I clean the edges of any excess grounds. I let the Carezza heat up for anywhere from 5-30 minutes (I have 4 kids, so I get distracted sometimes). Anyway, I get crema maybe once out of 5 times making a shot, and even then it's so thin that if I breathe within 50 feet of my cup, it's gone.

I've seen some videos of what you guys are capable of, and I want to be able to do that! I'm sure there are NUMEROUS threads that exist already that can help me, but I think I'd spend a week trying to weed through and find what I really need to know. I would greatly appreciate any help you can afford me.

Tks,
Jeff

(I am well aware that both my machine and my grinder could use an upgrade, but as that's not in the near future, I'd appreciate help with my lackluster technique, not suggestions on what to buy to fix my problem)

You don't mention the beans you're using. You grind your beans but what beans do you use? I tried and tried and tried but I only got good crema when I started using fresher beans. At a certain point I even started home roasting and that's when it truly started to look like all those naked pours you see on this website. Now I can get pours like that with less fresh beans too, but that only happens when using the Weiss Distribution Technique. Google that and you have some technique to master!

Hi Jeff,

It sounds like you know that the grinder is the problem. I'm sure that being up to scratch with the forums you know the importance of fresh coffee.

I think that if you want anything to improve, you are going to have to be quite anal about working out what all of the variables are. This means shotglass and stopwatch time. You will make more headway spending an hour pulling shots in succession and changing one variable at a time than you will if you just go about making the regular coffees that you do in a day, so it might be worthwhile getting a bag of coffee, setting aside some time and considering it an investment. You're also going to have to make sure that you give the machine enough time to reach a consistent temperature.

OK, if you can't change the grind, all that you can do is to change the dose. The technique that I have found the most consistent has been to grind into the portafilter, rap it a few times to settle the coffee, grind more if I need it, then strike the excess off level. For a lower dose, I just grind and strike off level. If I were you, I would experiment with those two doses. Time the shots and measure the volume. There is no way around it. Using the double basket, if you get less than 30mL in 30 seconds (ie. a ristretto type shot), you will need to lower your dose, which might even mean scooping some coffee out. If you get more than 60mL in 30 seconds, you will need to increase your dose.

Once you have gotten a decent shot volume and time, you can start worrying about brew temperature. It's worthwhile extracting a shot immediately after the heating element turns off (hottest point in the cycle) and comparing it with one extracted a few minutes after the element turns off (colder). You can even turn on the steam switch to heat up the boiler a bit more after the thermostat cuts the heater off ... but all of this is basically entirely irrelevant if you can't get within the volume/time ballpark.

Espresso isn't rocket science, but it does require a bit of attention to detail. Not being able to adjust your grind setting really is quite bad. If you aren't fortunate enough that your sole grind setting is pretty much spot on, I don't really see how we can delude you into thinking that you are going to get even passable results.

Report back and let us know what volume/time you're getting and what coffee you're using.

Good luck!

Luca

Ok, so I am using Wegmans brand beans (my local supermarket here in Roch) and they're never more than a week and a half old...that's how long it takes me to go through a bag. I buy the whole bean espresso roast.

As for extraction, I'd say I get 2 oz. in about 15-18 seconds, which I know is too fast. But when I tamp harder to try to slow down the extraction time, I often get water dripping out of the portafilter itself, and the espresso that comes out is really watery, which makes no sense to me. I never get mousetails.

Let me know if you need more info.

Tks,
Jeff

But do you know when the beans were roasted? Chances are they are old and stale when you buy them!

No--I have no earthly idea when they were roasted. So how can I buy fresher beans (without investing tons of money into roasting my own)?

You need to become as obsessive about your espresso as you are about your pizza:

1) Unless the store is roasting on site, or having it delivered on the day it is roasted, your coffee beans are a lot older than 1-1/2 weeks at the end of the bag/can/whatever they come in. You need coffee that can be consumed within two weeks of the ROASTED date. Basic "rule" is that if a coffee says "best if used by..." the beans are probably already stale. I have seen beans packed that way with a date that is nearly a year off! I try not to keep green coffee that long. Since you are in the NY area, there are plenty of shops that roast on site. Find some roasted coffee that is actually fresh. If all else is equal, if the coffee is bad, try another brand of beans. If all else fails, try a can of Illy whole espresso beans. They taste decent for a day or two after opening the can, but still, there are better choices.

2) The grinder is the most important part of the tool equation, and the Maestro was a marginal grinder for espresso when new and working properly. Yours sounds totally unsuitable now that it is broken, and after 4 years of use probably at least a bit worn. If you are not willing to either get and use a quality hand grinder (an older Zass or similar) or a better electric grinder, your efforts are going to be wasted to a great extent no matter what else you do. A good electric grinder, new, will run at least $250 (around that, anyway) and it sounds like that is not going to happen for you at this point. I have made good espresso with a $10 thrift-store espresso machine, but it was paired with a good grinder.

3) The thin coffee even with hard tamping shows that you are having difficulty with distribution. There are resources on this site that can help. If you are not ready to spend the time to learn, you never will... learn. Espresso is not something that you can get good at in a short time. Like any other form of food creation, it is an ongoing quest that takes a lifetime. Seven years ago, almost to the day, I was shipping for my first espresso machine. I am still learning. If you aren't willing to spend the time learning, why should we spend the time teaching you?

4) At this point, I would suggest that you put the espresso machine off to the side and get an Aerobie Aeropress. At about $30 delivered, it is quite affordable, it works great over a wide range of parameters, and your grinder is more than sufficient for that device. If that does not make a good cup for you, then you either need to get a better coffee bean or you just do not like coffee. No, it doesn't make espresso, but it does make good coffee, and good coffee of any type is better than bad espresso.

To be frank and honest, your post reads like a troll. I say that because so many of your problems are those that are faced by someone just starting out in the world of espresso. When i started out I already knew the solutions to most of your difficulties before my first machine arrived. How? I did the research and lots of reading. I suggest you do the same. Otherwise all this time is wasted.

What if I said to you: "I have been making pizza at home for years now and can't seem to find one that tastes good to me. I have tried every frozen pizza I can find, and I cook them fresh-- as soon as they thaw out, but they still all taste like cardboard. What should I do?" That is what your post sounds like to me....

Not trying to be harsh or rude-- just an attempt at being realistic and honest.

Randy--why are you yelling at me? I'm just kidding, man....but if I wasn't willing to learn, I wouldn't have come seeking your advice. So I am humbly listening to what you are saying--and don't worry about sounding harsh/rude--I'm impossible to offend.

I hear what you're saying about the grinder. But do you think if I spent that kind of money on a decent grinder that I could produce great results even with the Carezza, or is that unsuitable too? I'm not opposed to spending that much, but to spend that AND a bunch on a new machine is not in the budget. So if my results will improve dramatically with JUST a new grinder, I would do that. Can you recommend a handful in the sub-$300 price range, and I'll do some research?

As for distribution, I read about the WDT, and actually tried it this morning. No difference in results, but I will still try it going forward.

Regarding your pizza problem...I would suggest making a traditional California pizza.....you know, empty your refrigerator and throw everything right on the pizza (peppers, feta, ham, pineapple, garlic, thousand island dressing). Deeeeeee-lish!

Jeff

AND fresh beans!

I just order mine on the internet. Intelligentsia or Metropolis are good places to start.

gags22 wrote:But do you think if I spent that kind of money on a decent grinder that I could produce great results even with the Carezza, or is that unsuitable too?

Oh heavens yes! Take a look at this shot it was made with a $200 Gaggia Coffee and my $245 (ebay) Mazzer Super Jolly and home roasted beans (any fresh beans will do):

[gvideo]http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 1609&hl=en[/gvideo]

I myself went from a Solis Maestro Plus to a Rancilio Rocky then to the Mazzer and the Mazzer was best hands down. Check ebay as many Mazzers go for $200-$300. They also in my opinion out perform the Rocky (even when my Rocky was new). I got my grinder off ebay, cleaned it and gave it a quick coat of paint. I have less than $260 invested in it!