Coffee

prydey · 04-09-2021, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T3rminator

Haha you say that, but pour it into an unmarked mug and you'd probably not be able to tell it apart from a lot of the shops ranked "pretty good".

That says more about the shops than it does about maccas, but i agree. I've sampled a few places and very few are anywhere close to what I make at home.

If you follow a few basic principles its not that difficult to make superior coffee at home.

you don't need mega expensive equipment, but there is an element of you get what you pay for, so decent grinders are quite pricey. The grinder is actually more important than the espresso machine.

Once you have the equipment all you need is fresh beans of a flavour that you like. If you drink espresso, beans have a much smaller window of freshness as well. 2 weeks from roast date is getting close to the limit. Once you add milk, its not so critical however most would recommend using beans within 3-4 weeks of roast date.

Do not buy beans from a supermarket. There are plenty of roasters around australia selling very high quality beans.

Once you have your equipment and supplier sorted, then it becomes about technique. This isn't that hard to learn. The 3 main things to learn are grind, dose and tamp. These 3 all go together but should only be adjusted one at a time so you know the effect that change had.

grind = the size of the grounds. Too coarse and it pours too fast. Too fine and it pours too slow. You need to find a sweet spot that achieves approx 30ml in 30sec, give or take.

dose = the amount of ground coffee in the portafilter. Some tampers will have rings around them to act as a guide for consistency. Correct dose should allow about 1mm of space between the top of the puck and the shower screen when the handle is locked in to the espresso machine. An easy way to determine this, is to put a 5c coin on top, lock the handle in, then release and have a look. The coin should not be pushed in but just leave a slight impression in the top of the coffee. Once you have established that, take note of how far in your tamper goes, and don't vary by too much. Its all trial and error.

Tamp = the pressure you push down on the grounds with your tamper. This is probably the one step with the greatest variation in opinion. A friend of mine, who invented Pullman tampers (the best) did numerous tests and found that a pressure of between 5-15kg was ideal. Between those numbers made very little difference. When learning you can tamp on scales to get a feel for it.

It all sounds long winded, but once you get those 3 steps all working in unison to produce that magic 20-30ml in roughly 30sec, then good coffee at home should follow.

If you drink coffee for the taste etc and you regularly buy it, then buying your own equipment can pay for itself in short time. If you drink for the social aspect, then you'll probably end up drinking a lot more coffee

Sorry for long winded post. I do not have expensive equipment as I can't afford it, but I do enjoy the art of making it and trying to teach others as well. My machine is a breville dual boiler (bes920) which has all the features of the best high end machines and is great for domestic duties for those on a tight budget. Its paired with the breville smart grinder, which I can only say 'does the job'. When I win the lottery, that will be getting upgraded, but given I have milk, its not that critical.

slowsnake · 04-09-2021, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prydey

Sorry for long winded post. I do not have expensive equipment as I can't afford it, but I do enjoy the art of making it and trying to teach others as well. My machine is a breville dual boiler (bes920) which has all the features of the best high end machines and is great for domestic duties for those on a tight budget. Its paired with the breville smart grinder, which I can only say 'does the job'. When I win the lottery, that will be getting upgraded, but given I have milk, its not that critical.

Long winded, nah, ÷4÷ is long winded, takes him an essay to say "hello"
In the time it took to read your post, it took same time for me to make coffee, feed the cat, buy morning paper, wash car, put a load of washing on and, have a cup of coffee,

Cheers Billy

prydey · 04-09-2021, 10:29 AM

Here is an AFF coffee thread started 8 years ago...
https://www.fordforums.com.au/showth...ghlight=coffee

PooDog · 04-09-2021, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prydey

That says more about the shops than it does about maccas, but i agree. I've sampled a few places and very few are anywhere close to what I make at home.

If you follow a few basic principles its not that difficult to make superior coffee at home.

you don't need mega expensive equipment, but there is an element of you get what you pay for, so decent grinders are quite pricey. The grinder is actually more important than the espresso machine.

Once you have the equipment all you need is fresh beans of a flavour that you like. If you drink espresso, beans have a much smaller window of freshness as well. 2 weeks from roast date is getting close to the limit. Once you add milk, its not so critical however most would recommend using beans within 3-4 weeks of roast date.

Do not buy beans from a supermarket. There are plenty of roasters around australia selling very high quality beans.

Once you have your equipment and supplier sorted, then it becomes about technique. This isn't that hard to learn. The 3 main things to learn are grind, dose and tamp. These 3 all go together but should only be adjusted one at a time so you know the effect that change had.

grind = the size of the grounds. Too coarse and it pours too fast. Too fine and it pours too slow. You need to find a sweet spot that achieves approx 30ml in 30sec, give or take.

dose = the amount of ground coffee in the portafilter. Some tampers will have rings around them to act as a guide for consistency. Correct dose should allow about 1mm of space between the top of the puck and the shower screen when the handle is locked in to the espresso machine. An easy way to determine this, is to put a 5c coin on top, lock the handle in, then release and have a look. The coin should not be pushed in but just leave a slight impression in the top of the coffee. Once you have established that, take note of how far in your tamper goes, and don't vary by too much. Its all trial and error.

Tamp = the pressure you push down on the grounds with your tamper. This is probably the one step with the greatest variation in opinion. A friend of mine, who invented Pullman tampers (the best) did numerous tests and found that a pressure of between 5-15kg was ideal. Between those numbers made very little difference. When learning you can tamp on scales to get a feel for it.

It all sounds long winded, but once you get those 3 steps all working in unison to produce that magic 20-30ml in roughly 30sec, then good coffee at home should follow.

If you drink coffee for the taste etc and you regularly buy it, then buying your own equipment can pay for itself in short time. If you drink for the social aspect, then you'll probably end up drinking a lot more coffee

Sorry for long winded post. I do not have expensive equipment as I can't afford it, but I do enjoy the art of making it and trying to teach others as well. My machine is a breville dual boiler (bes920) which has all the features of the best high end machines and is great for domestic duties for those on a tight budget. Its paired with the breville smart grinder, which I can only say 'does the job'. When I win the lottery, that will be getting upgraded, but given I have milk, its not that critical.

When your Breville packs a sad get a delonghi. I've had 3 Brevilles they don't last long and hard to get parts ,the service people reckon the delonghi or sunbeam were easier to service ( could be a NZ problem) .... the wife hates coffee and my machines that make a mess in her kitchen the last breville that packed a sad I was coerced into getting a pod machine which are pretty average but heaps quicker to use coz sometimes you want a coffee but you're too lazy to go through the hassle making one ..........the ol pod machines are a good compromise

prydey · 04-09-2021, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PooDog

When your Breville packs a sad get a delonghi. I've had 3 Brevilles they don't last long and hard to get parts ,the service people reckon the delonghi or sunbeam were easier to service ( could be a NZ problem) .... the wife hates coffee and my machines that make a mess in her kitchen the last breville that packed a sad I was coerced into getting a pod machine which are pretty average but heaps quicker to use coz sometimes you want a coffee but you're too lazy to go through the hassle making one ..........the ol pod machines are a good compromise

I had the breville bes900 for a few years before upgrading to the 920. Been pretty reliable. Parts are actually not that hard to come by either and having worked on my old one, they aren't that difficult to fix. I'll pass on the delonghi.

PooDog · 04-09-2021, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prydey

I had the breville bes900 for a few years before upgrading to the 920. Been pretty reliable. Parts are actually not that hard to come by either and having worked on my old one, they aren't that difficult to fix. I'll pass on the delonghi.

Mine have been the cheaper models , put me off buying a flasher model yeah I cannabilised a few bits off them but just got sick of fixing them ....so far so good with the delonghi pod machine

**DFB FGXR6** · 04-09-2021, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prydey

Sorry for long winded post. I do not have expensive equipment as I can't afford it, but I do enjoy the art of making it and trying to teach others as well. My machine is a breville dual boiler (bes920) which has all the features of the best high end machines and is great for domestic duties for those on a tight budget. Its paired with the breville smart grinder, which I can only say 'does the job'. When I win the lottery, that will be getting upgraded, but given I have milk, its not that critical.

A dual boiler machine is the one thing I wish I had paid extra for, that and a separate grinder.