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  • Just bought a new machine

    Hi all,

    My first post. Been reading a lot on here for the past 3 months and now I have decided to join.

    Bought a VBM Levetta and K3Touch Grinder from Chris at Talk Coffee last week. Should arrive tomorrow. Have a bought a bag of Epic Blend Beans from Five Senses here in Perth so I am all set tomorrow to hopefully pull my first shot of espresso.

    Will let you all know how it goes.

    Cheers,

    Grubba

  • #2
    Re: Just bought a new machine

    Welcome to CS, and nice choice .

    Chris will probably throw in a 250g bag of his Urban blend beans, which are very nice too.

    Enjoy the VBM, I know I do. I will be interested to hear how you like the grinder.

    Cheers

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Just bought a new machine

      Congrats on the new gear Grubba, Im sure you will be producing great shots in no time. The Epic blend should be a nice one to start with, hopefully you can emulate some of Epics brilliant coffees!!
      Next step, home roasting??????
      Beanbay pickups at Epic....................enjoy the new gear -- gm

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Just bought a new machine

        Thanks guys

        Not sure on the roasting side as I have difficulty cooking an egg let alone beans. Wouldnt mind giving it a go at some point but right now Id rather get the extraction right.

        I dont know what I will expect from the grinder as I have nothing to compare it to...as time goes by I will have some issues Im sure. I think Ill use it on the manual setting and get the right grind for now. I did read a review which was quite good on it but as you know there is always something better out there. For me it will the job fine for the time being.

        PhilMAc - are there any tips on the machine that I should know about? I read the document that Chris sent and it all seems pretty straight foward.

        Cheers

        Grubba

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Just bought a new machine

          Originally posted by Grubba link=1216626007/0#3 date=1216630658
          - are there any tips on the machine that I should know about? I read the document that Chris sent and it all seems pretty straight foward.
          Hi Grubba,

          Ive had my VBM now for two months and enjoying it alot. I dont know what sort of drinks you usually have, but probably the main reason I bought the Lavetta was that I normally drink espressos and only rarely do milk based. Hence I went for the single boiler, but with the stability of the E61 group head. Not that it wont make steam, it makes heaps, you just need to wait 30 seconds or so after pulling the shot. In fact I found it best to plug one of the steam holes with a toothpick for a while till I got the technique for the milk, as there was so much steam. Still need a lot more practice, but heh, I like my blacks.

          When mine arrived I first thought it was dead, as after I put water in the tank and turned it on, nothing happened, other than the main light coming on but no boiler! They have a pressure switch under the reservoir, which shuts off the boiler when the water level gets low (this may be described in the manual, but honestly the manual is quite poor - even Chris said that). The tank must have been slightly stuck and didnt reset the switch when I put in the water. It just needed a little shake and a push to activate - and Ive had no problems since. The switch has switched on and off many times by itself now. Nothing like the dreaded little sweaty sensation you get when you think your new toy doesnt work!

          Theres so much good information in these forums, but probably one of the most important is consistency. That is why I would be interested to hear how you go with the K3 Touch. If you are using the same bean most of the time you should be able to dial in a dose setting. Then comes the grind setting, amount of coffee (dose), tamp pressure, length of pour etc. Varying any one will affect the other, so try to only change one at once when you are chasing a taste that suits you. A set of digital scales is handy, to weigh both the coffee amount and the pour volume.

          I only drink two to three cups in the morning, so I only run the degreaser through every second week. Otherwise its like cleaning it to death. I backwash every day mind you and only use filtered water (Britta Jug).

          Enjoy, and let us know how you go.

          Cheers

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Just bought a new machine

            Thanks PhilMac,

            Great information, personally I am a double espresso person but the wife does like her milky drinks.

            Yes, I was hoping to stick to the one bean - Epic Espresso is just arond the corner from me so its easy to pop in and grab a 200g bag of the Epic Blend.

            Will keep you posted on how the grinder goes.

            I was thinking about using the Britta Jug ...which state are you in. I have a filtered system on our sink which I was hoping to use.

            Cheers,

            Grubba

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Just bought a new machine

              Yep, double espresso is spot on here too, as per the picture on the left! <------- Sometimes with just a splash of water added. You probably wont want to stick to just one bean in the longer term, but youll know your grinder by then. Speaking of which, if those Epic beans are expensive, you may want to buy some cheaper supermarket beans to roughly dial in the K3, before you launch into them.

              Im in Brisbane, and I use water from our rainwater tank for coffee. Theoretically it should be low on meneral content, ie soft, but I use the Britta to filter out any particular matter that may be present as a result of the native bird population :

              Cheers

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Just bought a new machine

                Hi Grubba,

                With respect to Philmac, I wouldnt bother buying any supermarket beans to dial your grinder in, because it is quite likely that they will be so stale that the grind setting will be nothing like what you need for the fresh beans you get from places like Epic, the less variables you have to contend with initially, the quicker you will start to get comfortable with your new gear.

                The other point he made about blocking up one of the holes in the steam tip does seem to be a good idea for new users of this type of machine, unless of course Chris has fitted a different tip to the factory one? You probably will find it difficult to steam milk for one person initially, and might have to start with enough milk for 2 drinks and pour out the balance, then with practice you should be able to manage just enough milk for one if you need to, but you will need a 300ml jug to do it.

                Bullitt

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Just bought a new machine

                  Originally posted by Bullitt link=1216626007/0#7 date=1216853022
                  then with practice you should be able to manage just enough milk for one if you need to, but you will need a 300ml jug to do it.
                  I respectfully disagree with the second part of the above whilst wholeheartedly endorsing the first.

                  The smallest jug Ive got is 600ml and my HX steams FAST. Practice is the key and whilst it is probably very valid to argue that a little milk in a big jug makes the job harder, I would counter argue that it makes you concentrate even more. It took me less than 2 weeks to consistently get properly stretched and textured milk for both flat whites and cappas + lattes. Maybe it wouldve taken less time with a smaller jug, who knows? But I can say with certainty that you dont "need" a smaller jug.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Just bought a new machine

                    Originally posted by Wrecker link=1216626007/0#8 date=1216854390
                    Maybe it wouldve taken less time with a smaller jug, who knows?  But I can say with certainty that you dont "need" a smaller jug.
                    What about the 100ml jug I use for a macchiato when I feel inclined?? :P

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Just bought a new machine

                      Good Lord, a 100ml jug??? Mind you though, I did contemplate going smaller when I was experimenting with steaming double thick cream - but 100ml!? Wheres one of wifes thimbles?

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Just bought a new machine

                        I have a small jug that I use to serve the milk in for a macchiato (some people are fussy about how much they want).

                        Its probably about 20ml.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Just bought a new machine

                          Originally posted by Thundergod link=1216626007/0#11 date=1216863297
                          I have a small jug...Its probably about 20ml.


                          ...streuth TG, thats a small jug alright...

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Just bought a new machine

                            Ill measure it and post a picture tonight.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Just bought a new machine

                              You dont steam it in that though..... right?

                              Comment

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