Originally posted by 597C6F767B7C71671D0 link=1290119077/9#9 date=1291883051
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What am I doing wrong?
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Re: What am I doing wrong?
If you order 3kg of really high quality beans Id be willing to bet money that the 3rd kg will no longer be high quality by the time you open the bag.
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Re: What am I doing wrong?
I have just been throught the same issues with beans. Need to order in small quantities and use it all up in 3-4 weeks absolute tops. Order some beans from bean bay and some one way valve foil zip lock bags to store in. Share the order with a friend perhaps.....
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Re: What am I doing wrong?
Originally posted by 6559445F555443565E55310 link=1290119077/3#3 date=1290126038Fresh, fresh, fresh.
I know Flynn said less than a month but in your case the fresher the better.
As coffee beans age they need to be ground finer.
You want to find out how fine your grinder can go so try get beans as fresh as possible else they may already be too old and beyond the capabilities of your grinder.
Where are you (please update your profile) so we can point you to a reliable roaster.
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Re: What am I doing wrong?
How long can freshly roasted coffee sit in your cupboard in a sealed pack before its significantly reduced in quality? Id like to order 3kg of really high quality stuff, but Id probably take 3 weeks to go through a bag.
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Re: What am I doing wrong?
There lies the problem Dark,Originally posted by 0421322B26212C3A400 link=1290119077/7#7 date=1291881488My off the shelf Vittoria coffee beans are probably a bit old and dry
Pre-staled beans.... Try some fresh stuff and report back to us
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Re: What am I doing wrong?
Okay, I learned a lot from this thread. My off the shelf Vittoria coffee beans are probably a bit old and dry. Even at a "fine" espresso grind of 12 (12-16 on my machine is meant to be for espresso) I was getting a 10 second pour which was blonding at the 6-8 second mark. Id really only tried from 12-16 and got mostly the same results, the only way I could slow down the pour a bit was to pack it tight.
So I got home today, and tried a grind of 10. My first 20+ second pour! And hanging, looking a bit like honey. I then tried 8 for the hell of it, and it barely came out, just a few drops them I shut it down. So a few steps makes a big difference (thats 4 steps between barely coming out and pouring like milk). Tried 10 again and the pour was a bit quick, 15 seconds (you need to put a bit of coffee through before the grind setting becomes consistent). Now Im grinding on 9. Im guessing when I get fresh, quality beans, Ill probably get similar results from 11-12 setting. Tasted heaps better and as a sort of "bonus" the slower pour makes the machine less noisy. I did end up with grinds in the bottom of the cup but this is probably normal (?) and you never really need to drink the last drops. On an aside, I grabbed some full cream milk for latte art practice and I am getting better. Made a mangled rosetta. Ive learned how to make a fake pattern though, I did a normal pour and then as I was stirring the sugar at the bottom with my spoon, it was leaving a pretty cool pattern! Anyway, more adventures with it tomorrow.
Im picking up the Barista Pack from DJs.
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Re: What am I doing wrong?
So back to make some more coffee with the timer. Previously I timed from when turning the knob on, however the breville has a pre brew wetting of the grind, so this time I started the timer from when the coffee started coming out.
So for 20 seconds on setting of one is 100mls, and on a setting of six its pretty close to the same (maybe I didnt tamp the same).
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Re: What am I doing wrong?
You say you get 70mls in 20 secs from the finest setting.
How many mls do you get in how many seconds from a setting of 6?
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So Im in Canberra and now get coffee from Cosmorex in Fyshwick, where I did the course. Learnt about look and smell of fresh coffee beans, grind and use within a few minutes, preheat the cup and handle in the machine, tamp at about 15 kilos of pressure, etc. We just used their grinder and machine. They taught about where you taste the coffee on your tastebuds on your tongue. If at the front its bitter and the grind is too course, at the back its burnt and the grind to fine and at the sides its sour which means the coffee is old and stale, and to aim to taste the coffee in the middle of your tongue. All food for thought. So maybe the 30mls in 25 seconds is not relevant to my machine? However with all my testing and tasting I find I need the grinder on a very fine setting. It ranges from 1 to 25 and I get the best flavour result when its on about 6. Everyone seemed to like my coffee even before I did the course, so maybe I am doing it mostly right.......
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Re: What am I doing wrong?
Fresh, fresh, fresh.
I know Flynn said less than a month but in your case the fresher the better.
As coffee beans age they need to be ground finer.
You want to find out how fine your grinder can go so try get beans as fresh as possible else they may already be too old and beyond the capabilities of your grinder.
Where are you (please update your profile) so we can point you to a reliable roaster.
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Re: What am I doing wrong?
Hi Rob,
Did the course cover grinder adjustment and coffee freshness (just like flynn_aus beat me to!) and storage? You need fresh coffee and to be able to dial in your grinder to get to a nice slow pour. So make sure your coffee is fresh and you are going fine enough. Did they let you use your grinder?
charlie
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Re: What am I doing wrong?
Welcome
Without having used a Breville 800, I dont think you can quite compare them to a commercial machine. Its bit like jumping into a truck after driving a Daewoo - you cant quite compare methods of operation even though similar principles are involved.
Firstly, what sort of coffee are you using? If it is from a supermarket shelf, it may well be stale. Go to a good roaster and buy a bag of beans that was roasted no more than a month ago.
How does the coffee taste? If it tastes good, then you dont have to worry.
If it tastes weak and sour then it may be under-extracted and you should try a finer grind. But first things first, make sure you are using good quality freshly roasted and freshly ground coffee.
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What am I doing wrong?
Hi. My first go on this blog. Have had a Breville 800ES and a Sunbeam cafe series grinder for a few years and was quite happy with it....until..... I did a short barista course and learnt a bit more. But the course was on a commercial machine so now trying to translate to the Breville. Learnt that I should aim for 30mls after about 25 seconds however even on the finest grind and tamped down well, I get 70mls in 20 seconds. help please or is that about right for the Breville? cheers RobTags: None
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