My first machine - EM3800 - Some Qs

[Ingram]

Ive been making coffee for over a year now with my trusty aero press and Kyocera hand grinder to good results. My mother recently upgraded her machine and Ive been given her old one which I mostly took just to have a play around with.

Ive made two cups today, both are quite decent but also both very different.

At this stage what Im not so sure about is what should I be looking for when Im pouring to know when to stop? I can leave the machine running and it would pour coffee out until it runs out of water but obviously this isnt how things are done.

Do I stop when the cup reaches a certain amount, or when the colour changes? Im a bit clueless. I watched a video tutorial for the machine on youtube but it completely glazed over this point.

Hopefully someone can clear this up for me so I can start making some good coffee. The problem with the aeropress for me is that I never drink the stuff straight or long black, so Im missing out on that lovely crema for my lattes (Although yesterday I did discover a method to get SOME crema in the cup which resulted in probably one of the best cups Ive made to date.)

[afit1551]

Re: My first machine - EM3800 - Some Qs

I think you need to look at both amount and colour change.
Amount: A good gide is measuring extraction in ml over time, a single shot should produce 30ml in 30 seconds and for a double shout 60ml in 30 seconds I think
Colour: Depends on whether you are pulling esspresso or ristretto shots, personally I pour ristrettos and cut of the pour just as/before the sandy blond colour come through

Im no expert tho and there are plenty of opinions out there so Id also suggest using the quick search bar to find old posts about this topic

[LaughingAtFate]

Re: My first machine - EM3800 - Some Qs

Another thing that you might look at doing is cutting out the bottom of the basket/Getting it cut out/replacing the baskets with unpressurised baskets if you havent already, that is

The pressurised baskets dont really give you crema, they give you fake crema thats basicly just whipped up froth.

But yes, try to match the 30ml in 25-30 seconds, Start counting the seconds as soon as you turn the knob.

Dont worry too much about the colour change, It usually seems to happen at around the 30ml/30 second mark anyway, which could be why some people use it as an indicator.