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Noob here - I have a lot of reading to do!

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  • #16
    Re: Noob here - I have a lot of reading to do!


    Firstly, Silvia will handle enough milk for two shots at one time before running out of puff

    Secondly, the foamed milk would lose its texture while you pulled another shot.

    One of the secrets to making a great coffee is to use everything as quickly as possible - the ground coffee - the poured coffee as well as the steamed milk.

    They all deteriorate if they stand too long.


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    • #17
      Re: Noob here - I have a lot of reading to do!

      So i went to Jetblack at 9am this morning. as soon as they opened. lol

      I spoke to Gus.. or Angus? i didnt catch it properly. He was really good. Answered all my questions and gave me recommendations of what to get and demoed the models that i was interested in. I never once felt pressured to buy this or not to buy that etc.

      I ended up with a 09 silvia, K3 touch, 1L & 400mL pitcher, thermometer, synesso double basket and spring, Pullman Cobalt barista tamper, knock box, blind filter cleaner and other things i cant remember.

      They didnt have any K3 touch grinders in stock so im going back next week to get it. (An)gus was kind enough to grind 250grams of coffee for me so i could start straight away.

      Went home and primed the boiler and made sure all the lines were good etc. Then i pulled my first shot. Not the best.. very thin and was VERY sour.

      How do i know what is going wrong when its too bitter or sour?

      I need alot more practice frothing the milk as i was used to frothing milk on a 3 hole tip Sam Marco commercial machine.. Might go the water and detergent route to practice.

      Ive used up most of the ground coffee i started with and made a few lattes and caps and they tasted alright.

      Still not really happy with my espressos but not sure what im doing right or wrong..

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      • #18
        Re: Noob here - I have a lot of reading to do!

        Again, Ill let the experts correct me if needed, but could be due to freshness of the ground coffee. One thing I learned quickly from this site is that your ground coffee goes stale very quickly.

        I know its tough when you dont have your grinder yet but I think the fact that your ground coffee was probably well past its best by the time you got home may be a factor.

        I think Ive read somewhere here that it goes stale within minutes of being ground. Until you get your grinder youre stuck between a rock and a hard place on this aspect.

        Damien.

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        • #19
          Re: Noob here - I have a lot of reading to do!


          The general rule on coffee staying fresh is:

          Green beans - 3 years
          Roasted beans - 3 weeks
          Ground beans - 3 minutes

          So grind and drink as fast as you can

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          • #20
            Re: Noob here - I have a lot of reading to do!

            Originally posted by 597E787F720B0 link=1250859783/13#13 date=1250978752

            I matched it with a K3 from Jetblack  and I think Charlie thought I was mad "upgrading" from Silvia to Sunbeam  
            I didnt think you were mad Rusty :

            I just assumed youd bumped your head or something ;D

            Glad to hear youre happy with the new combo.

            Originally posted by 456E466E5862580B0 link=1250859783/16#16 date=1251016267
            I spoke to Gus.. or Angus? i didnt catch it properly. He was really good.
            Its Angus if you want to be formal, and Gus for short. Gus has been with us now for over a year and always goes the extra mile.

            When your K3 arrives, it will definitely help with shot quality.

            charlie



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            • #21
              Re: Noob here - I have a lot of reading to do!

              Originally posted by 587766507E73717951737477120 link=1250859783/19#19 date=1251068836
              I didnt think you were mad Rusty
              I just assumed youd bumped your head or something

              Glad to hear youre happy with the new combo.
              Maybe Im over caffeinated  

              The K3 performs as well as you said it would, it just took me a little time to get acquainted.

              Say hi to Deb for me  

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              • #22
                Re: Noob here - I have a lot of reading to do!

                Congrats Nemesis (DA Darth here). Good choice, Im sure the Silvia & K3 will provide you with great coffee for years to come.

                P.S. Jealous of the Pullman. :P

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                • #23
                  Re: Noob here - I have a lot of reading to do!

                  Originally posted by 654E664E7842782B0 link=1250859783/16#16 date=1251016267
                  How do i know what is going wrong when its too bitter or sour?
                  Sourness generally means that the machine hadnt warmed up properly... 15-20 minutes is the minimum. I wouldnt get too worried about shot quality until you have your grinder though

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                  • #24
                    Re: Noob here - I have a lot of reading to do!

                    Yeah I turned the machine on for an hour this morning before I made my shots and it was sour or bitter. Just tasted like weak, off grounds as it would. With milk it tasted better than some bought coffee ive tasted. I wonder what the hell those places are doing to get such a crap coffee.

                    So far very impressed with the machine just gotta practice my milk frothing cause it sucks.

                    Thanks steve for the advice u gave me. It helped alot. Just cant wait or my grinder so I can start perfecting my shots. Im on my way to espresso heaven.

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                    • #25
                      Re: Noob here - I have a lot of reading to do!

                      Im in a similar boat to you. New Silvia and learning to pull shots.

                      Fresh beans has made a big difference to the bitter flavour and also getting (learning) the grind which varies between beans. Bit hit and miss to begin with.

                      Achieving the right flow for the 20ml rule still eludes me despite everything I do :-[. Just runs too fast.

                      However, I can say from my few weeks experience that leaving the machine to warm up for a good half hour makes a big difference. Flushing water through the coffee shot button doesnt quite have the same impact.

                      Happy cupping

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                      • #26
                        Re: Noob here - I have a lot of reading to do!

                        I cant wait to get my grinder and start fiddling around with it. Testing really course to really fine and tasting it.. I wanna know why a coffee tastes like it does.. over extraction.. under extraction etc..

                        I am getting about 60ml in 25-27 seconds with the synesso double basket. which is good i think.. the pre ground is perfect. I am giving it a light tamp (dont really know how many kilos though) That is with 2 level scoops with the silvia spoon thing.

                        If its coming out too quickly then maybe your grind is too coarse.. just a suggestion from what ive read so far.

                        Youre right though.. i tried the whole cheating miss silvia thing and although good, it doesnt taste the same when the machine has heated up properly.

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                        • #27
                          Re: Noob here - I have a lot of reading to do!

                          Noticed that you took delivery of the synesso basket. Many seem to have them and I wonder whether that might help my shots.
                          Yes, I am playing around with the grind again now that I have freshly roasted beans and grinding them prior to cupping.

                          Did you try the double basket with the Silvia machine? If so, what is the advantage you think from the ridgeless? synesso basket. Interested to hear your thoughts if you have a spare moment.

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                          • #28
                            Re: Noob here - I have a lot of reading to do!

                            Yeah i have tried it and i believe its better. Steve was the one that recommended it to me and Gus recommended it again.

                            This was written by Steve on another forum "Synesso baskets hold more coffee than the Rancilio basket, dont have a ridge for your grounds to get stuck in and are consistently round....sounds funny but a lot of other baskets arent always perfectly round and its not tapered. This means your tamper will fit better."

                            And everything seems to be true. By it holding more, it seems to give a more fuller and better tasting espresso. My pullman tamper fits it perfectly.

                            We tried the synesso with the standard spring but the basket fell out when we knocked it so youll need the better spring too. but thats only like 3-4 bucks anyway.

                            Ive always believed that if you do something.. you should do it properly. Well as much as ur budget allows.

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                            • #29
                              Re: Noob here - I have a lot of reading to do!

                              Originally posted by 133810380E340E5D0 link=1250859783/27#27 date=1251112821
                              Yeah i have tried it and i believe its better. Steve was the one that recommended it to me and Gus recommended it again.

                              This was written by Steve on another forum "Synesso baskets hold more coffee than the Rancilio basket, dont have a ridge for your grounds to get stuck in and are consistently round....sounds funny but a lot of other baskets arent always perfectly round and its not tapered. This means your tamper will fit better."

                              And everything seems to be true. By it holding more, it seems to give a more fuller and better tasting espresso. My pullman tamper fits it perfectly.

                              We tried the synesso with the standard spring but the basket fell out when we knocked it so youll need the better spring too. but thats only like 3-4 bucks anyway.
                              Thanks for that...think I need to squeeze a few more dollars out and invest in a synesso basket.....its a hobby like cycling, photography..its bottomless!  : ;D

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                              • #30
                                Re: Noob here - I have a lot of reading to do!

                                yay.. just got a call from jetblack saying that my grinder is in. picking it up tomorrow. cant wait!!!

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