> I went through a couple of those home espresso machines before I realised
> that they did not develop enough pressure to properly make espresso. Steam
> pressure going into the puck is the key to evolving the coffee without the
> caffeine, making good espresso. I spend my mornings in a mom&pop coffee shop
> and often do minor repairs on the equipment, which gets me free coffee.
> There's no pressure gauge on the two large espresso machines, but judging
> from the sealing gaskets and the foam wand it's safe to say that it
> approaches 75-100PSI.
Consistent pressure to the puck is critical. Temperature of the water
is too. Well, come to think of it, EVERYTHING is important. :(
The problem with the lower cost home machines with the boiler tank is
that the temperature is usually too hot and the pressure not right.
You can adapt to the pressure differences with your grind and how hard
you've tamped the grounds. The home steam machines tend to cook the
grounds which causes more grief.
I strive to have mine setup to deliver two shots in 30 seconds. If you
order a "Lungo" (long pull), that's about where I do mine at. For most
people and my wife, I do the equivalent of an "Americano". However,
with a twist. A typical Americano is one or two shots of espresso and
then the cup is filled the rest of the way with hot water. This
machine of ours is able to make an excellent Americano just by running
it longer. As the time extends, I lose a little bit of the heat in the
water, which backs off on the caffeine extraction. The final product
is then poured into the drinking mug for consumption. It's important
to do the pour because it blends the entire run and mixes the
beginning-middle-end flavors. The end flavor normally has an attitude
and gives the coffee the tangy aftertaste, but with the cooler water
going through, the tangy characteristic is minimized.
> I learned from a vendor in Italy many years ago that a trick to smooth,
> creamy espresso is to sprinkle a pinch of confectioner's sugar on top of the
> puck.
This is a trick that is required with many machines and inexperienced
barristas. It's a handy way of leveling the playing field. With a
higher-end machine (Mine retailed for almost $300 USD, bought a refurb
for under $100), quality beans (Starbucks is actually fine if you back
off one grade--Summatra is a good compromise), a correct grind within
five minutes of usage, and a proper tamping, the smooth, creamy head
will stand there for an hour.
I've got over 15 hours on the pump in mine. They don't last forever
and I'm already researching replacement units.
Did I mention that I really don't like coffee? I love espresso, but a
normal cup of Joe? Not so much. I'll drink it, but I'd rather have a
nice cup of Tetley Tea. (Enjoying one right now). Espresso is
different. Espresso is all the goodness of the coffee bean without the
aftertaste.
Just a note to the anti-Starbucks snobs: Yes, the beans trend to the
scorched side. The Espresso roast is particularily well singed. But
not all beans are. Some are very good, but with the variation between
coffee machines, you have to find the one or two types of beans that
works with what you have. Overall, I prefer a particular Peruvian
bean, but it's a difficult one to get. A couple years ago, Starbucks
bought up pretty much the entire harvest and blended the wonderful
beans with the junk ones and ended up with a decent, but not great
blend. Meanwhile, you couldn't get the good beans because they sucked
the supply dry. (evil corporation, yada yada).
Prior to this machine, the steam machine I had required a lot of
extensive fine-tuning. I ended up using a dual-bean approach. The
bottom layer of grounds was a rich flavored Central-American bean. The
top layer was a Kenya AA bean. Kenya AA beans have serious attitude
but lack the fuller notes. They are plenty acidic, which I used to my
advantage. As the water flowed through the puck, the acidic AA beans
pulled more flavor out of the lower layer and the lower layer helped
neutralize the bite of the AA beans. I did extensive experimentation
with this and that was what worked for my specific machine.
I'll never go back to a steam machine now.
I haven't purchased one yet, but am very tempted to pick up an
Aeropress. That's got to be one of the finest $20 coffee-snob gifts
out there.
Oh, ALWAYS use filtered water.
--
Ken Norton
ken@xxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.zone-10.com
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