Welll, I upgraded again!

[Cal Blacksmith]

I use a Rocky grinder and really like it. The only thing that I would change is to make it stepless but that's nit picking. It's VERY consistant. 25 seconds for 2 oz is the sweetspot for my Isomac. Normally I only vary the grind as the beans age slightly and my normal 25 second pull starts to overpour. I got my current machine about 3 years ago and have no plans to upgrade it. More than likely it'll outlast me!! those Italians can really build an espresso machine. Have fun dialing it in.

They can indeed build a machine in Italy! So you have an Isomac they are geat machines also, I am sure you are very happy with it, very solid from everything I know about them. The Rocky will indeed get the job done, stepless is nice too! From what the guys on Coffeegeek.com say, you will notice an improvement in shot quality if you setp up to a SJ or it's class grinder. I really could not say one way or the other as I started with a SJ and have never looked back. I do have a Solis 166 that I use at work for auto-drip (I know, I know but it is MUCH better than anything from the coffee machine and the other people in the office can figure out how to work it. I would use a Vac-Pot if I could but it is a bit of a mess for an office) The Solis will also barley, sort of, kind of grind fine enough to feed the Francsis Francsis espresso machine I have here in the office, again not great but much better than the alternative! I picked it up local from Craigs list for $100, not bad when they list in the $600 range new. I sure would not pay that much for one, that is for sure! There are much more capable machines in that price range that will brew rings around the FFX5!

I have done a little bean roasting, in an iron pot over a gas burner and it turned out well but I can buy beans, properly roasted from Klatch roasters, they are just about 45 miles from my house and shipping costs $7.50 They have some VERY good coffee and are great people to boot!! I will normaly get beans within 4 days of roasting and have had them come as soon as the day after they were roasted!

One of these days, I will take a class from Heater Perry, she works at/owns Klatch roasters with her dad, she is a two time national barista champ and their coffee has taken high honors many times. The down side of taking the class is that it is $500 for a one day class, kinda spendy!

[Cal Blacksmith]

If that thing did not come with detailed instructions, Ok even if it did I would be in trouble !

Oh it isn't so bad really, about the same skill level as, say, setting up a turntable, nah that is more dificult than operating the espresso machne!

For my machine, it is a HX (heat exchanger) type, and thus it has an extra setp or two from a home machine but basiclly it goes as follows:

1 Plug in and turn on the espresso machine, make SURE it has water in the tank (if it has one) or that the water line has pressure.

2 Allow the machine to warm up for about 45 minutes to stabilize the temp of all the parts in the machine. Kind of like getting a freight train up to speed.

3 Have FRESH beans on hand within a week or so of being roasted (or frozen whole within as little time as possible of being roasted)

4 Weigh out the beans to be ground, I use 16 grams of ground coffee for two 1 ounce shots of espresso.

5 Grind coffee and dose the grounds into the portafilter (the handle shaped thingie that you put the coffee into)

6 Flush the hot water from the group head

7 Lock the PF into the group head, place cup under PF and pull shot (in my case, push button #2 and the correct amount of water is dispensed)

8 look at shot, compare actual time to pull shot with "standard" (16 g ground coffee in a 2 shot basket and 2 oz of water through the coffee in 25 seconds)

9 adjust grind or tamp or both to acheave #8 ( finer grind takes longer to brew, coarser takes less time, more pressure on tamp is slightly longer pull and less tamp pressure is a slightly shorter pull)

10 If you are a real man, you will now drink the shot straight, if not, you will likely steam milk and make a Latte or Cap.[]

See, that wasn't so bad was it?[:|][]

[Cal Blacksmith]

Greg;

The aeropress is a cup mounted version of the French press, yes you can indeed get good coffee from it. What are you using for ground coffee? If you are not using fresh and grinding your own, you are cheeting yourself of LOTS of flavor!

What you are making is not espresso, that requires about 10 bar of pressure (10 atmospheres or about 140 psi) (something you can't possibly do by hand) but you can indeed get some great tasting coffee from a FP!

A Moka pot is still not true espresso but it is a lot closer. It uses steam pressure to brew, again not enough pressure but it is the way nearly every Italian maks coffee before heading out for the day, normaly stopping at the local espresso bar for a quick shot on the way to work!

The Moka pot can be bought for around $30 depending on size and many people are very happy with the near espresso they make.

I must again say you need to buy FRESH ROASTED BEANS anything in a mega-mart is MONTHS old at best, not good coffee by any standard. To go with that fresh coffee, you need to get a good grinder, not one of those whirley blade spice mashers but a real burr grinder. They can be bought referb for under $100 for a fairly good one. In this price range, they won't grind fine enough and consistant enough for a espresso machine but the are great for most other methods of making coffee.

Another way to make coffee that gives you outstanding flavor is the Vac-Pot. This was the standard coffee maker up until drip coffee makers took off by storm (excepting cowboy coffee (boiled) and perk coffee YUCK!) You can buy used pots from the 40s on Ebay for aroud $25 to $30. They make outstanding coffee and have less sludge than the FP or Aeropress. Use 1 tablespoon of grounds per "cup" on the maker. The cup measurement is quite variable and dose not relate to a measuring cup.

[greg928gts]

Definately fresh beans and I grind my own. I get my beans from Matts Coffee here in Maine (buy local) www.mattscoffee.com He roasts over a wood fire, which I don't think really makes much of a difference in flavor, but it makes for good marketing.

I haven't invested in a burr grinder yet, but I will someday. Xmas present from wife?

I don't get any sludge or grinds from my Aeropress, it's very clean.

I would like to try a French press someday. I had a friend make me a cup from his one time and it was great. Grinds in the bottom of the cup though, and a lot more difficulty and mess. I really do like the simplicity of the Aeropress.

There are so many beans out there, and it seems like they are all made for regular coffee makers and they have names like dark roast, French roast, early bird, etc... I'm still trying to find one that I can call my own. There's a local coffee house here in town that makes great espresso and I tried the beans they are using and it doesn't work as well in my Aeropress. I would welcome suggestions on how to choose the right bean.

Greg

[colterphoto1]

I'm poor. I make coffee.

[Cal Blacksmith]

Definately fresh beans and I grind my own. I get my beans from Matts Coffee here in Maine (buy local) www.mattscoffee.com He roasts over a wood fire, which I don't think really makes much of a difference in flavor, but it makes for good marketing.

I haven't invested in a burr grinder yet, but I will someday. Xmas present from wife?

I don't get any sludge or grinds from my Aeropress, it's very clean.

I would like to try a French press someday. I had a friend make me a cup from his one time and it was great. Grinds in the bottom of the cup though, and a lot more difficulty and mess. I really do like the simplicity of the Aeropress.

There are so many beans out there, and it seems like they are all made for regular coffee makers and they have names like dark roast, French roast, early bird, etc... I'm still trying to find one that I can call my own. There's a local coffee house here in town that makes great espresso and I tried the beans they are using and it doesn't work as well in my Aeropress. I would welcome suggestions on how to choose the right bean.

Greg

Wow, where to start?

F.P., you can pick up one for low $, something under $30 will get you one that makes like 4 cups (shop around) One thing to remember with a FP is to grind course, the grinds need to be larger than the mesh in the plunger, the better the grinder, the less fines you have and the less sludge in the bottom of the FP. Another thing with FP is not to drink the bottom of the pot, yes leave the last 1/4 cup in the pot and pour slowly, this will allow the fines to stay in the bottom of the FP. I do enjoy a coffee brewed in the FP esp when I only want ONE or TWO cups. If I want more than that, I will use the Vac-Pot.

I can't see why FP is more work than the Aeropress???? Starting with a clean FP, grind the coffee, add near boiling water, let steep for about 2 to 4 minutes (depending on size of FP and volume of coffee brewed) slowly push plunger down, pour coffee into cup, dump spent grounds into trash and wash FP (this last step can wait until you enjoy the coffee!) No hastle as far as I can see!

As to a grinder, how are you grinding now? A good grinder makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anything less than a good (or even fair) burr grinder is just throwing great flavor down the drain, literaly! I know it is hard to set your sights up for a grinder but really, new, anything under $75 to $100 is a waste of money and many in that price range are not so good either. Shop around on the coffee sights for sale boards, you will be able to pick up bargans if you don't mind used. For a point of reference, a Mazzer Super Jolly sells new for $650 give or take and can be bought in very good shape for about $350. These are excelent espresso grinders and can go as course as PP (press pot, French Press) but are best for espresso only as a good espresso grinder can take a little time to dial in for a perfect grind, remember you need to adjust the grinder to get a 16g coffee puck to take 25 seconds to make 2 oz espresso. Small adjustments will cause the shot to run faster and slower so to avoid the hastle, many or most coffeegeeks tend to have at least two grinders, one for espresso one for everything else.

I just bought a N.S. general purpose grinder on the boards for $300 shipped from Onterio CA. It lists for about $1700 and was lightly used in a retail coffee shop. This is now going to be my home grinder for everything other than espresso. The consistancy of grind is VERY IMPORTANT!

On the topic of beans, wow, there is a lot of ground to cover (no pun intended!) First there are S.O. or Single Origan coffees. These are beans, all of the same type, grown on the same farm. A specific variety of bean. There are also blends, several different variety of beans blended to get a specific taste. There is nothing wrong with either, it is just a matter of what taste you are after. When you talk about Light City, City, dark city, french, dark french, espresso, these are the ROASTS of the bean, or how well done they cooked the beans. You can roast any variety of bean to any roast and the flavor will change as the different suguars are caramalised to different degrees, the other compounds are either brought forward or recessed (there are over 1000 different compounds in coffee beans and everything affects everything!)

It is important to have the proper temp of water when you brew, too cold and the coffee is bitter (think 99% of the drip coffee you have ever had!) You need to brew with water that is 195 to 205 F. This is just off a boil. I can make you a great pot of coffee with a tea kettle and a $5 melitta cone, better coffee if you spring for the gold filter over the paper ones as the paper blocks the volital oils form reaching the cup. If the water is too hot, you will burn the coffee and a *$ flavor is what you will get though *$ burns the beans also, it is hard to see why people will pay big money for their "coffee"!

You need to try different beans, different roasts and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get a good grinder, a good one to start with that will do a fair job is here

Virtuoso Grinder with Speed Reducer (refurb)

There is much more to discuss but I am out of time for the week. I would be happy to talk to you on the phone, if you wish to do so, shoot me a PM and I will send you my home phone number!

Wayne

[CECAA850]

The Rocky will indeed get the job done, stepless is nice too! From what the guys on Coffeegeek.com say, you will notice an improvement in shot quality if you setp up to a SJ or it's class grinder. I really could not say one way or the other as I started with a SJ and have never looked back.

S.J.....Super Jolly?

[oldtimer]

Your upgrade looks a lot like the one my best friend has. He is also a maniac.

[greg928gts]

Thanks for the great info Wayne. I guess I know what I'll be asking for for Xmas.

Greg

[Cal Blacksmith]

The Rocky will indeed get the job done, stepless is nice too! From what the guys on Coffeegeek.com say, you will notice an improvement in shot quality if you setp up to a SJ or it's class grinder. I really could not say one way or the other as I started with a SJ and have never looked back.

S.J.....Super Jolly?

Im sorry yes SJ is short fot Super Jolly,I am so used to calling it that on coffeegeek.com that I forgot that normal people might not know what I was talking about!