Thread: Coffee Enthusiasts

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

What I need to do is stick with one coffee for a while. Changing it up makes settling into a groove tough. But every day I get another chance at perfection.

Yup that definitely helps, pick a brand/roast that you can pull decent shots without too much fidgeting. That way you can focus on the factors that are within your control.

edit - and everyday you can have MULTIPLE chances to pull that amazing shot!

Found a lightly roasted Kenya AB bean. Coarse grind 10 teaspoons through the Capresso Stainless worm drive unit, then 190 degree water into my 8 cup Bodum press, unbelievably best cup ever. The last drink tastes so good you want another fill. Destroys Starbucks Kenya AA, but that's not saying much...

Originally Posted by TwistedOak

edit - and everyday you can have MULTIPLE chances to pull that amazing shot!

In moderation. I just got my blood pressure under control. And I'm taking Ambien to sleep at night. So a little every day but not too much for me. Two double shots and that's about it.

Now, anyone else froth milk?

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

Now, anyone else froth milk?

I wish I had a proper machine for that.

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

Now, anyone else froth milk?

Sure, when my baby isn't in storage like it is at present. I absolutely love a good cappuccino. I used to have 2 doubles every morning -- one straight up and the other a capp made with whole milk. For now, I'm using the AeroPress daily. It makes a really great cup of coffee; too bad "coffee" isn't the same thing as espresso.

Originally Posted by Speedster

Sure, when my baby isn't in storage like it is at present. I absolutely love a good cappuccino. I used to have 2 doubles every morning -- one straight up and the other a capp made with whole milk. For now, I'm using the AeroPress daily. It makes a really great cup of coffee; too bad "coffee" isn't the same thing as espresso.

I replaced the steam wand on my Gaggia with a Rancillio steam wand. The Gaggia frother is a known disaster and incapable of making a steam for a cafe latte. The Rancillio can but it takes some technique that some days I'm better at than others.

My machine, with dedicated steam boiler and 4-hole tip, had way too much output to properly steam small amounts of milk -- i.e., a bit more than needed for 1 small capp (4-5 oz). For the longest time, I skipped capps entirely due to this issue. Eventually, I got a taste for them again, so I wound up buying an expensive La Marzocco sized adapter fitting from the factory then the Foam Knife tip (patented single-hole tip that looks like a 2-blade airplane propeller from the end; hole in middle with 2 smaller width "blades" extending outward a few mm).

Man, it took some serious cash, but I was finally able to produce excellent micro-foam textured milk in my small steam pitcher without wasting milk.

Hopefully, your Gaggia is up to the task of steaming. When I had my Rancilio Silvia (ca. 2003), I used it exclusively for straight espresso. It worked fairly well with an aftermarket PID modification to keep the boiler temperature more stable, but I was too snobbish about milk texture to use its steam capabilities. Funny, since I started off the espresso hobby with a $40 Krups "espresso" maker some 25 years ago.

Bonus with cafe lattes is that you don't need that cappa level milk texture, so hopefully you have some luck with your new wand/tip combo.

Originally Posted by Speedster

My machine, with dedicated steam boiler and 4-hole tip, had way too much output to properly steam small amounts of milk -- i.e., a bit more than needed for 1 small capp (4-5 oz). For the longest time, I skipped capps entirely due to this issue. Eventually, I got a taste for them again, so I wound up buying an expensive La Marzocco sized adapter fitting from the factory then the Foam Knife tip (patented single-hole tip that looks like a 2-blade airplane propeller from the end; hole in middle with 2 smaller width "blades" extending outward a few mm).

Man, it took some serious cash, but I was finally able to produce excellent micro-foam textured milk in my small steam pitcher without wasting milk.

Hopefully, your Gaggia is up to the task of steaming. When I had my Rancilio Silvia (ca. 2003), I used it exclusively for straight espresso. It worked fairly well with an aftermarket PID modification to keep the boiler temperature more stable, but I was too snobbish about milk texture to use its steam capabilities. Funny, since I started off the espresso hobby with a $40 Krups "espresso" maker some 25 years ago.

Bonus with cafe lattes is that you don't need that cappa level milk texture, so hopefully you have some luck with your new wand/tip combo.

You can get a decent latte milk with the Gaggia but I don't think it's capable of producing a steamed milk for latte art or anything. It's under $400 so expectations have to be relevant to the price. Until I win the lotto it will have to do. What the machine lack I have to try to compensate with my own efforts.

Funny thing is the grinder is so often overlooked; most enthusiasts get caught up in the machines. So long as you are buying quality coffee, you are really ahead of the game. I'd recommend you upgrade to a conical burr grinder before you move to another machine. Conical grinders produce an excellent grind profile improvement that you can really differentiate in the cup.

Espresso can be a rabbit hole much like this sport of straight razors. But, at least we aren't paying $5/cup retail.