Help me get the best out of my Gaggia Classic

Boards.ie: Neil

Hi all,

I have quite recently bought myself - for the times on the weekend when I can't make it to 3fe/humble bean/roasted brown - a Gaggia classic and for the last week or so being trying to get to grips with it.

Just looking for a few pointers on how to get the best pour from it so I'll tell you a little about what I'm doing at the moment.

1. Grind has bean konga peaberry in my maestro plus burr grinder (set to 10 for espresso as per manual).

2. Tamper the coffee with supplied plastic tamper (probably should get a proper tamper).

3. Turn on Gaggia Classic, wait 6 minutes to heat up, turn it on to let water drip through to clean the head first (sorry for the lack correct term).

4. Insert espresso basket and place espresso cup underneath, and allow for coffee to drip from both shoots into one cup.

5. Turn on steamer and froth my milk (I like cappuccinos sorry I know :pac:)

6. transfer espresso to a larger cup to allow for milk, then pour milk in.

Now the taste isn't bad don't get me wrong it's a hell of a lot better than when I used a french press but I guess I'm looking for little hints and tips on getting the best out of my coffee.

For example when tamping should I compact the coffee a lot or just a little bit?, When frothing milk; what's the best way to get that lovely smooth velvety texture as oppose to bubbly milk.

Coffee is something that I love when it's done right, going into the places I listed above and seeing a skilled barista take pride in what they do and serve up a great drink is something I'd love to imitate to some degree at home (as in don't think I'll be entering the IBC in 2013 :pac:).

Thanks in advance.

caol ila

this guy pulls a shot on a la marzocco machine, great vid, coffee porn to some maybe. Might give you a few tips though.
http://youtu.be/eqs1HhiGHck
and this http://youtu.be/hEb1rXP3aTU

Gran Hermano

http://thirdfloorespresso.tumblr.com/

3FE are doing classes in espresso and milk frothing.
Sounds like a good investment at the price.

The Toff

I have the Maestro plus myself and it really is more of a filter brewing grinder than for espresso. Don't pay too much heed to the setting in the manual. In order for me to get 19% extraction with a 2:30 min aeropress brew (>90C slurry), I put the Maestro plus at a much finer setting than you have for espresso! Even my chemex brews (I do use small brews) are around the 14 mark.
How long is it taking for your espressos to pour?

Edit: I also use Konga peaberry in filter and it is bloody delicious. I've never had an espresso if it..

Clinker

The Toff wrote: »

I also use Konga peaberry in filter and it is bloody delicious. I've never had an espresso if it..

I was enjoying Konga peaberry in the plunger pot myself when my espresso supplies ran out and I found it makes a sublime espresso. Nearly all gone now

the beer revolu

If the sequence of your method is accurately described, there is a major flaw.

You say that you tamp the coffee before you heat up the machine.

You should heat the machine with the portafilter in place so all that lovely chromed brass heats up too, then grind, fill the basket, tamp, insert the portafilter hit go!

Regarding your grind, the easiest way to establish the correct grind is to grind a little coffee so fine that it 'chokes' the machine (ie coffee won't flow) then back off the grind bit by bit until you get a double shot in about 30 sec.
Your grind setting will often change slightly to compensate for different humidity and different beans and the freshness of the beans and even wear on the grinder burrs. You'll get to know this after a while and will be easily able to tell if it needs to be a little finer or coarser by the speed of the shot and the look of the crema. There is no one magic setting.

Sinfonia

Boards.ie: Neil wrote: »

1. Grind has bean konga peaberry in my maestro plus burr grinder (set to 10 for espresso as per manual).

Every bag of beans (or even every handful!) can require a different grind setting, so as mentioned above, you basically have to go by trial and error until you get the right result (I base the result on the time it takes to pour - should be between 20 and 30 seconds from the moment you press the pump button)

2. Tamper the coffee with supplied plastic tamper (probably should get a proper tamper).

Definitely do. It really does make a difference, and if you shop around a little bit, they don't have to be incredibly expensive. Just make sure you get the right size.

3. Turn on Gaggia Classic, wait 6 minutes to heat up, turn it on to let water drip through to clean the head first (sorry for the lack correct term).

I have read that for best results, leave the machine on for about half an hour before using, as it gives the temperature of the machine time to stabilise. However, I don't think that's a huge concern.

There are a ton of guides on technique, coffeegeek.com is a good place to look at, I'll give a quick rundown of what I do when making a coffee (not that I'm a pro or anything):

1. Machine on, portafilter in, leave for 10-30mins.

2. Grind beans (will usually be around the same grind setting, but sometimes the first shot of a new bag will be thrown away and I'll adjust the grinder to a better setting).

3. Take hot portafilter from machine, dry any moisture, fill with coffee grounds (best to weigh this, but I never got around to buying a scales, and at this point I've become used to judging it by eye, levelling off with a finger etc. Although I do still plan to get a scales).

4. Distribute the grounds using the 'Weiss Distribution Technique' - I use an unfolded paperclip :P I also use a VST 15g basket, which apparently favours a dip in the centre of the grounds, whereas a standard basket favours a mound in the centre.

5. Tap portafilter on the counter to settle the grounds, then gently lower the tamper onto the grounds and give a little spin to even out the top (you pretty much have to have a decent heavy tamper here). Then tamp down, and finish with another little spin.

6. Run water through the machine until the temperature light goes off, quickly dry off the shower screen and drip tray surface with a paper towel, lock-and-load the portafilter, place a warm cup underneath, and hit the button as soon as the temperature light comes back on.
If the shot takes between 20 and 30 seconds to pour, it's a winner. If not, then I probably need a finer or coarser grind.

When it comes to how hard you should tamp etc., basically think of it this way:
The grind, dose and tamp all work together, so essentially the coarser the grind, the harder the tamp and vice versa and so on. The general recommendation is to always dose the same amount (measure with scales) and tamp with the same pressure (not so easy to measure, but you'll get used to doing it a certain way), so that the only thing you may need to adjust is the grind, rather than wondering which part of the process you may have done wrong. The whole espresso-making ordeal(!) is about trying to achieve consistent results, so keep the process as consistent as possible too. Just remember that you're trying to pour your shot in 20-30 seconds. Also, do take good care of the machinery, it makes a world of difference; flush more water through the machine after making a coffee, backflush fairly regularly, and descale as necessary. For the grinder, get a little brush and some Grindz.

Hope that's of some help

donnacha

I think you got enough feedback below on the routine the only thing I'd add is that you should really let the machine heat up for at least 15 to 30 mins. Two things however that are a must if you want to get the most out of your gaggia investment -
1. get yourself a blind filter (your going to need this for your backflush cleaning routine)
2. read this thread and mod your classic http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=53777822

Once this is done then you need to address your grinder situation. The maestro plus is an amazing grinder - I have one myself and use it for pour over and french press. I don't think I ever tried it for espresso but I'd guess you'd need to be at the finest setting, and at that it would be tricky to get a decent shot without a lot of waste. If your budget could extend to a MahlKonig Vario then I'd recommend it as an espresso grinder.

Boards.ie: Neil

Hi Guys,

Tried all the suggestions for improvements last night (heated machine for 30 minutes, with portafilter in) and ended up with a much nicer cup, didn't time how long it took to pour as i hadn't my phone with me, I'll be looking at working on this next.

Looking to get a proper tamper soon and a thermometer so I can micro foam milk easier (which looks a whole lot easier than it is in practive) , anyone have any recommendations?

donnacha

Boards.ie: Neil wrote: »

Hi Guys,

Tried all the suggestions for improvements last night (heated machine for 30 minutes, with portafilter in) and ended up with a much nicer cup, didn't time how long it took to pour as i hadn't my phone with me, I'll be looking at working on this next.

Looking to get a proper tamper soon and a thermometer so I can micro foam milk easier (which looks a whole lot easier than it is in practive) , anyone have any recommendations?

Microfoaming really is an art/skill that takes a lot of practice. I got a thermometer myself but found the feeling of temp in the hand from the jug of more value. Again as others have suggested check out classes from 3FE - I did a latte art class with them before and got 2 hours of training with them with unlimited milk and espressos to work with. It really paid dividends on the day and for weeks after. However I don't really make them at home(only for guests)and a year later I've pretty much lost the knack. Sounds like you'd be making them regularly for yourself so definitely a worthwhile investment.

adrian522

I think a proper tamper is a must, and yeah a thermomoter if you are frothing milk.

I also picked up a digital scales off amazon that measures to 0.1g

you can then measure out (for example) 18g of coffee beans, grind those into the portafilter and then slide the scales under the espresso cup and stop the machine when the coffee in the cup is close to 28g.

This may all be a bit to technical when starting out but none of this gear is in any way expensive and will improve your coffee no end.

I also picked up a magnetic timer from has bean which is dead handy for timing the shots.

Mr Magnolia

Reg Barber is the dog's danglies for tampers, expensive though. There's been a couple of threads on the topic so it'd be worth a dig as you'll probably get as good closer to home and a little bit cheaper as a result.

I'd recommend you use your hand to gauge the temperature of the milk. This way you can keep an eye on the milk and not have to worry about watching a thermometer.