Tips for improvement . Video

Woodpecker1

Hi.

I made this short youtube vid of how I make my morning coffee.

The reason is that I would like some constructive criticism on my methods .

The reason I do the milk first is because the Cubka takes too long for the steam boiler to heat.

As far as equipment goes. This is what I have and don't intend to upgrade for a while as I like what I have. But I would like a bit more consistency.

PPC

Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYONShA8ca4 for some milk steaming tips.

Leave the portafilter in the machine while you're steaming the milk, it keeps it warm and should help with extraction.
If the water coming out of the machine hits a cold portafilter it will then cool and reduce extraction.

Flush the water from the machine while you're grinding, it will save a bit of time and your milk will be a bit better.
I'm not familiar with the machine, but are you flushing enough water until the boiler starts to heat again? Checkout http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwLOdifkfrU
You should be able to flush the machine while the coffee is grinding and get it back up to the correct temperature before you're ready to put the portafilter back in.

Don't add sugar.

I know you said no new equipment, but a better tamper would help, those plastic ones are terrible, something like http://r.ebay.com/2d7G69 is cheap and should do the job.

Don't tap the portafilter after tamping, it breaks the seal you're creating.

Weight the coffee you're putting in and the espresso that comes out, read http://marcobeveragesystems.com/weighing-espresso-how-it-works/ for more details.
It looks like the shot came out in 20 seconds, you should be looking for about 28 seconds or so.

After that, just keep practicing!

Woodpecker1

Thanks for that. I did not know anything about temp surfing and refilling the boiler. This could explain a few things.

Sometimes the crema is not really there or it breaks up into a sediment type shape on top of the foamed milk. I guessing this is a temperature issue.

The machine is the bottom end of gaggia . I would like another but it would be a christmas present at the earliest. I cant figure out how to temperature surf on my machine. The light can be on and stay on for over 20 mins . While it puffs and steams. So i'm limited on what I can do , although it does make different sounds when its really hot.

Is there any reason why sugar should not be added? I love it . I have tried adding it to the milk before steaming as well.

donnacha

Woodpecker1 wrote: »

I would like a bit more consistency.

1. Buy a tamper
2. Weigh your coffee - you should only be grinding the exact dose you require. 18g for a double shot would be a good starting point.
3. Time your shot - 25 seconds is about right - adjust grind to suit this.

If you want to improve your milk I'd suggest checking out the following guide:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY_ucwpiLdQ

Once you've got that nailed you can then move onto some latte art

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4b7CZ7joUE

Woodpecker1

thanks again. Tamper on the way. Scales next week.

I don't think my machine can froth milk as good as his pro coffee machine.
I have been trying to figure mine out for a few months now but have never got the milk foamed from top to bottom. It always ends up either flat or too foamy. Those vids are great though. Will try ..

donnacha

Woodpecker1 wrote: »

thanks again. Tamper on the way. Scales next week.

I don't think my machine can froth milk as good as his pro coffee machine.
I have been trying to figure mine out for a few months now but have never got the milk foamed from top to bottom. It always ends up either flat or too foamy. Those vids are great though. Will try ..

To evenly spread the air the key is the roll, you only add air (i.e. make that squelching sound) for the first 5/10 seconds, you then drop the wand slightly deeper but have the pitcher at an angle so all the air bubbles combine. It definitely works - just requires a bit of trust and lots of patience and trial/error.

Good luck and do come back with more questions as you have them.

Mr Magnolia

Great advice above. Your milk looked ok though it didnt sound great at times, I would have had more of it in the jug before I started steaming leaving a little after you're finished the pour. Your pour was going ok until the very end, try and bring the crema to the top of the cup as you were before the big shot of cream that was lobbed on at the end. When you improve improve you can then try and introduce a little art.

PPC

Woodpecker1 wrote: »

Thanks for that. I did not know anything about temp surfing and refilling the boiler. This could explain a few things.

Sometimes the crema is not really there or it breaks up into a sediment type shape on top of the foamed milk. I guessing this is a temperature issue.

The machine is the bottom end of gaggia . I would like another but it would be a christmas present at the earliest. I cant figure out how to temperature surf on my machine. The light can be on and stay on for over 20 mins . While it puffs and steams. So i'm limited on what I can do , although it does make different sounds when its really hot.

Is there any reason why sugar should not be added? I love it . I have tried adding it to the milk before steaming as well.

Sugar hides a lot of the flaws, best to leave it out if you're looking to improve.

You might need to run more water through the boiler once you've turned off the steam button to get it to cool down, I generally have to run it for 10 seconds or so to bring it down.

Bohrio

You got some really good tips here!

As you are getting a new tamper you might want to practice your tamping techniques too. Try tamping always applying the same pressure, this will give you consistency. There are many tamping techniques, I would suggest you have a read at this article

Link

Talks about 4 corner staub tamping and other tamping methods.

Another good tip you had is measuring the amount of coffee you grind. This will save you throwing so much coffee away. After you tamp, IMO, all you need to do is level your coffee (you can do this with your finger or with a stick). But then again, try different techniques and decide which one you find best.

Regarding the sugar well, they are correct, sugar disguises coffee flaws, I only dont use sugar when I am either having espressos or when I am cupping my roasts, but normally, I put sugar in my coffee. I add the sugar after I brew the coffee and before I add the milk. If I am doing cappuccinos I also add the chocolate before I add the milk. But that's just me. Chocolate, sugar, cinammon, will hide the inherited flavors in coffee, specially sugar, but the combination of both can create really nice coffee too. Sometimes I drink coffee as a treat more than a beverage.

Also, try buying a thermometer. It will help you achieving the right temperature (around 55-65 degrees If I remember correctly).

Also, start grinding while you are frothing the milk, or even a few seconds before that might decrease the time between you frothing the milk and brewing the coffee?

Gotta go now