No crema from espresso maker

waraf

OK I'm not even sure if 'crema' is the correct terminology but I'm talking about that kind of yellow-brown froth you get on the top of a nice espresso.
I just got the stove top espresso maker shown below and took a delivery of espresso beans from hasbean coffee company yesterday too. Anyway, I'm not getting the crema/froth on the top of the espresso. It's not a major problem as the coffee is still nice I'm just wondering why there's no crema/froth? Is that just the way it is with stove top yokes?

alastair

That's just the way it is with moka pots I'm afraid (unless you get yourself a Bikka pot from Bialetti - which kinda does the job).

waraf

alastair wrote: »

That's just the way it is with moka pots I'm afraid (unless you get yourself a Bikka pot from Bialetti - which kinda does the job).

Ok that's grand. As long as I know that I wasn't doing something wrong or that it was a faulty coffee pot. Thanks for the reply.

davej

Yes. Basically you need an espresso maker to get proper crema. The stovepot does not give you enough pressure.

What you are drinking is not technically expresso (still quite nice though!)

davej

Gran Hermano

Been a while since I've used my moka pots but depending on how fine the
grind is and the pressure is within the pot pushing the water through you
may get a small amount of 'crema'. Try lowering the heat or moving the
pot off the heat once the coffee starts coming through as too much heat
will also cause the oils on the top to dissipate. A finer grind will also cause
more pressure to build up and help force the oils out better but it'll never
match the crema from an espresso machine.

waraf

Gran Hermano wrote: »

Been a while since I've used my moka pots but depending on how fine the
grind is and the pressure is within the pot pushing the water through you
may get a small amount of 'crema'. Try lowering the heat or moving the
pot off the heat once the coffee starts coming through as too much heat
will also cause the oils on the top to dissipate. A finer grind will also cause
more pressure to build up and help force the oils out better but it'll never
match the crema from an espresso machine.

You are a fountain of knowledge sir. Shaving, coffee what next?

Gran Hermano

waraf wrote: »

Shaving, coffee what next?

I reckon that's the perfect excuse for me to promote the art of shaving
properly with a safety razor to the gents here who enjoy making coffee properly
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055448697



After all shaving with a fusion/mach 3 is akin to drinking instant coffee
and it's our duty to introduce those who see the benefit in performing
any routine the correct way.

Here's a link to some short videos that may be of interest!
http://www.youtube.com/user/mantic59


Now to go back to the shaving thread and get the rest over here -
there's already yourself, myself and Fajitas posting on both.

waraf

Gran Hermano wrote: »

Now to go back to the shaving thread and get the rest over here -
there's already yourself, myself and Fajitas posting on both.

on my way...

dbar

Gran Hermano wrote: »

I reckon that's the perfect excuse for me to promote the art of shaving
properly with a safety razor to the gents here who enjoy making coffee properly
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055448697



After all shaving with a fusion/mach 3 is akin to drinking instant coffee
and it's our duty to introduce those who see the benefit in performing
any routine the correct way.

Here's a link to some short videos that may be of interest!
http://www.youtube.com/user/mantic59


Now to go back to the shaving thread and get the rest over here -
there's already yourself, myself and Fajitas posting on both.

Dont forget me as well!

Slaphead07

Gran Hermano wrote: »

After all shaving with a fusion/mach 3 is akin to drinking instant coffee
and it's our duty to introduce those who see the benefit in performing
any routine the correct way.

Really? I would have thought Electric = Instant! I've tried a good few razors (but none of those mentioned above) and keep coming back to the Mach3 - it might be overpriced but for me at least it works. I should point out that my head gets shaved daily too and while it's actually less hassle than shaving a face it does mean I need a good blade... a shaving cut on the top of your head or over an ear can be a distraction (for others).
That said I will check out the blades mentioned above.

SeaSide

waraf wrote: »

You are a fountain of knowledge sir. Shaving, coffee what next?

The teach your kids juggling and send them off to the circus gig aint going to good

Gran Hermano

SeaSide wrote: »

The teach your kids juggling and send them off to the circus gig aint going to good

I actually got taught how to juggle as part of a course work sent me
on some years back when NLP was the latest thing to force feed us.

Khannie

Hmmmm. I have started to hate shaving and have reduced myself to 1 shave a week (the bare minimum that I can get away with) on a Sunday night / Monday morning as I'm only in the office Monday through Thursday.

I may invest some time and effort in this old style shaving malarky.

I had a girlfriend once (many moons ago) who bought me a traditional barbers cutthroat razor. I have since lost it and found it incredibly difficult to shave with (i.e. it cut nothing).

Slaphead07

Khannie wrote: »

I had a girlfriend once (many moons ago) who bought me a traditional barbers cutthroat razor. I have since lost it and found it incredibly difficult to shave with (i.e. it cut nothing).

There's no way I'd use one of those... I can't view that as progress! I nick myself enough with a safety razor anyway.