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Beginner and pro baristas share tips and tricks for making espresso.
Thebigm
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#1: Post by Thebigm »

Hi. I'm a complete beginner in the espresso world. I just bought a Smeg ecf01 50's look espresso maker which suites our economy and kitchen. To accompany it I have a manual Peugeot L'Abre grinder. One of my friends got a much more expensive machine (5 times the price of my Smeg). He gave me a delicious double shot espresso today with the most lovely "oily" texture ever. I got the same beans with me home to try in my less expensive machine. The result was good, but lacked the delicate oily texture. I use setting 0,5 on my grinder (0-5 where 0 is finest). I also use one spoon of coffee. My grinder certainly "felt" the oily beans so it was a bit more difficult to grind. Had to shake it a few times. My question is; could the lack of this delicious oily texture just be my way cheaper machine, or could it be I should grind it at setting 0=finest? Or perhaps more coffee or more tamping? Sorry for this novice question, but I so much want to know :). Thanks I'm advance. Br Marius

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Jeff
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#2: Post by Jeff »

It is unlikely that you will be able to get close to what your friend provided with your equipment, even with the same coffee. The grinder is a critical part of the chain. The Peugeot grinders are not known for providing espresso-quality grinds. Grinding for espresso is much more challenging than for a cup of filter coffee as the grinds need to be finer and the ability to make tiny adjustments in size is much more important. The Smeg coffee machines are generally designed for using "supermarket" coffee in a pressurized basket. They usually lack the features needed to make classic espresso in a non-pressurized basket, such as an OPV that controls the pressure during extraction. You will be able to make some strong coffee, but not espresso as one usually can get from a better grinder and a machine designed for a non-pressurized basket.

Edit: I've read through the Smeg manual that I found. It wasn't explicit that it was a pressurized basket. Do the baskets for ground coffee (not the pod basket) only have a small hole or two or some sort of rubber insert in them that restricts the flow? If they are pressurized baskets, almost all the advice on dialing in an espresso by taste will not apply. This is because changing the grind or dose won't impact the flow rate and pressure the same way in a pressurized basket as they do in a conventional basket.

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mrgnomer
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#3: Post by mrgnomer »

A good espresso shot ground and pulled on commercial grade equipment led many to the edge of a rabbit hole. Anything is possible, I guess, with a thermoblock high pressure machine and a hand grinder but you might have to do a lot of experimenting to find ways of a hitting balanced parameters of grind size consistency, brew temperature, brew pressure for the extraction a commercial grade set up is capable of. And before that there's the puck preparation of dose weight, even distribution, even tamping.

When I started my set up was a thermoblock machine and an entry level grinder. Getting good at puck preparation to get decent extractions took some time but even with a good bit of experimenting I still couldn't duplicate the espresso quality I was chasing. Upgrading to a more commercial grade machine and grinder made a quality difference right away. I got the quality shots every now and then so consistency became the next goal. Consistency came with understanding parameters more and investing in equipment that could control them better. Grind control and consistency, brew temperature, preinfusion pressure and timing, extraction pressure. And a decent puck preparation technique. Forums like this one are good at breaking down optimal techniques and conditions to control espresso quality. Reading that stuff can really lead to an upgrading, red pill rabbit hole, though.
Kirk
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professionals do it for the pay, amateurs do it for the love

Thebigm (original poster)
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Joined: 10 months ago

#4: Post by Thebigm (original poster) »

Thanks for the replies. I fully understand that I cannot go all high with my machine, but as I'm used to a Dolce Gusto capsule machine, this feels like an upgrade to me after all. I'll do my best to find the coffee blend I like, and which gives the best result in my machine. For the dreamy, delicious "oily" shot, I'll have to rely on my friend and his semi-pro machine :)

@Jeff. The filter seems to be all metal in two layers. First is a very fine masked filter, and one whole in the bottom. I guess this alone will limit the flow of water.

Again, thanks for your input. There's so much more to this than I thought. A pity I cannot afford a more high end machine. I started with capsules, now I'm at the Smeg. Maybe I'll be able to upgrade again in the future ;)

Br
Marius

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Jeff
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#5: Post by Jeff »

It sounds like a pressurized basket. I don't have a lot of experience with adjusting the flavor of an espresso from them. I think your machine runs the pump for a fixed time for the "single" and a different time for the "double" button. If so, changing the dose probably changes the strength of the coffee. My guess is that you'd need a 10-20% change in dose to make a big difference in the strength. I would guess, and haven't tried, that the finer you grind, generally the more of the bitter or roasty flavors you would get. Another thing you might try is to run the "double" basket and dose with the single button. That would be similar to "cutting a shot short" which is a technique that sometimes can improve the flavor of dark-roast espresso.

Thebigm (original poster)
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#6: Post by Thebigm (original poster) »

Just thought I'd follow up on this. It's indeed a pressurized basket. I've tried making a double shot, and the result is actually better, though not the same.
Another thing I should mention is that my friends semi-pro machine runs on softened water. He actually filters the water twice. I have no filter on mine yet, but I should. Our water is hard! I believe that won't do any good in terms of coffee quality. Yet, I'm fully aware that my equipment are very limited in that term as well.

Anyway, thanks for your time :)

Br
Marius

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mrgnomer
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#7: Post by mrgnomer »

Hard water is bad for scaling. Don't know about flavour, though. There needs to be some minerals in the water for flavour, AFAIK.
Kirk
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professionals do it for the pay, amateurs do it for the love

Thebigm (original poster)
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#8: Post by Thebigm (original poster) »

Hi guys. This might not be interesting to You far more pro baristas out there, but thought I'd share a few findings :). You know my setup, so you also know where I stand equipment-vice.

Today I bought a water filter for my ECF01, and a real metal mug for steaming milk. I initially thought my glass mug would be sufficient. I've been proven wrong.

First of all, the coffee seems more "soft" and firm with softened water. A bit as I expected, but still :). The steaming, though, has been much better in the steel mug. As in way better. For a second I thought that latte art actually was within reach, but micro foam seems impossible with the panarelo wand. Also as expected.

I guess this is basic knowledge for You pro guys, but for the less advanced with limited equipment, water quality and correct milk mug is essential for getting the maximum out of what you got :)

Br
Marius
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