Last weeks thread here

Welcome to this week’s casual kōrero thread!

This post will be pinned in this community so you can always find it, and will stay for about a week until replaced by the next one.

It’s for talking about anything that might not justify a full post. For example:

  • Something interesting that happened to you
  • Something humourous that happened to you
  • Something frustrating that happened to you
  • A quick question
  • A request for recommendations
  • Pictures of your pet
  • A picture of a cloud that kind of looks like an elephant
  • Anything else, there are no rules (except the rule)

So how’s it going?

  • Dave@lemmy.nzOPM
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    3 months ago

    I ordered an espresso machine over the weekend while Briscoes had a 50% off sale. I’ve been waiting for The Bambino to have a decent discount and it finally did. No store in the Wellington region had any in stock, so I had to order it.

    They use Aramex so the normal 3 days to 3 months delivery timeframe applies.

    • FloofahNZ@lemmy.nz
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      3 months ago

      Your journey into nice coffee is underway, I don’t think you’ll regret getting a decent espresso machine.

      One further step that really did give an improved flavour for us was getting a grinder. We bought a Breville Dose Control during a Briscoes sale. Our coffee maker is not Breville but the control over the grind size and duration makes it very easy and repeatable.

      I look forward to reading any updates on this, time to start trying different coffees ☕️

      • Dave@lemmy.nzOPM
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        3 months ago

        It arrived! In fact it quite possibly had already arrived when I wrote the post that I was waiting, I was expecting some sort of delivery notification that I didn’t get.

        Now I’ve worked out I have no idea what I’m doing.

        I use a double sized coffee thingy which holds about as many coffee grinds as I used in my aeropress, but the flavour is weak. The shot of coffee I get (without adding any extra water) is about the strength of a long black you’d get from a cafe.

        From the instruction book I think this means the grind isn’t fine enough? I think I’ll need to do some experimenting.

        I also had a go at frothing milk but also have no idea what I’m doing there. I think I need to go looking for a beginner guide.

        • FloofahNZ@lemmy.nz
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          3 months ago

          Espresso does need a fine grind, the hot water is only there for around 15 seconds, and the fine grind is needed to give that a full flavour.

          Can I suggest you get some espresso grind and work from there. Fill the head with the ground coffee and compress it quite firmly. After compress it’ll leave a small gap (few mm) at the top of the head. Use more coffee next time if the gap is too big. The double head will give 2 shots at a time. Either combine them into a single cup, or use 2 cups with one shot each.

          I never use the milk frother, just splash a dash of oat milk onto the top.

          • Dave@lemmy.nzOPM
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            3 months ago

            The instructions that came with the machine warn about not using too fine of a grind, so I think I underground it. I’ve been grinding more and more and it’s getting better but I think I need it much more ground up than the instructions implied. They did give guidance on how long it should take before the coffee starts coming through, which helps.

            I will order some pre-ground espresso to see what its like, to get a better sense. I don’t think I’m ready to spend $400 on a grinder yet 😆, I’ll stick with the cheaper one I have and maybe treat myself when my birthday and a big sale coincide.

            • FloofahNZ@lemmy.nz
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              3 months ago

              If the grind is too fine, the espresso machine won’t have enough pressure or time to force the hot water through. On my setup, I had to experiment to find the optimal grind to suit my machine.

              Whatever you end up doing, it’ll taste much better than 99% of coffee shops.

              • Dave@lemmy.nzOPM
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                3 months ago

                Haha if I end up making a coffee that tastes better than cafe coffee I’ll be very impressed!