Coffee gear and discussion thread

[DerSnap]

I did a couple of test pulls this morning with the factory-recommended starting point of 1-K on the Vario. My usual 19.5 g in a Synesso 18 g basket choked the stock (but fairly well-used) Silvia. 23 g in the VST triple yielded a slightly bitter, powdery shot but a pretty decent cone with the naked PF. Dialled the micro back to O and dosed the same and the VST blonded a bit early, but there was no powder. I'll play some more this afternoon, but MAN what a difference from a cheap burr grinder!

How you liking the VST filters? I have mine on the way (somewhere in the mail) and pretty excited to use.
I been advised that a flatter tamper is also better well currently I am using a slightly convex version.
Today I came down to 22grams and got a much better extraction. Still they are pulling a bit long over the 34 second mark, but taste great.

My steaming though for milk has taken a turn for the worse. Not sure if its the milk I have (same brand) or if I am just off.

[SameGuy]

I learned this morning not to use the naked PF after working a taxing graveyard shift and taking muscle relaxants before bed. What a mess!

[AFKitchenknivesguy]

How you liking the VST filters? I have mine on the way (somewhere in the mail) and pretty excited to use.
I been advised that a flatter tamper is also better well currently I am using a slightly convex version.
Today I came down to 22grams and got a much better extraction. Still they are pulling a bit long over the 34 second mark, but taste great.

My steaming though for milk has taken a turn for the worse. Not sure if its the milk I have (same brand) or if I am just off.

You really have to try different milks out. When I lived in Germany, I had a hard time finding milk that wasn't ultra pasturized/shelf stable; it's hard to get good microfoam with it. Try finding the freshest milk you can find, and use whole milk.

[AFKitchenknivesguy]

I learned this morning not to use the naked PF after working a taxing graveyard shift and taking muscle relaxants before bed. What a mess!

Please, do tell...

[SameGuy]

Just didn't do something right, dosing, distribution, tamping... I'm still honing the new grinder for Red Bird. Had three different micro-jets beside the main cone, one spraying the backsplash of the machine, one my hand and one the counter and even the floor. Tiny little espresso dots everywhere!

[SameGuy]

Yes, the chrome has peeled off the plastic group head cowl...

[DerSnap]

You really have to try different milks out. When I lived in Germany, I had a hard time finding milk that wasn't ultra pasturized/shelf stable; it's hard to get good microfoam with it. Try finding the freshest milk you can find, and use whole milk.

I use a good Organic (Bio) Milk here Alpine stuff with 3.8% fat. It was just this specific one that was a bit flat for frothing. Today it was fine.
By off I meant my latte art is just not as fancy as when I used to make 400+ a day as a barista.

VST 20 gram just arrived last night, and dialing it in. So far seems pretty good.

[vinster]

Just didn't do something right, dosing, distribution, tamping... I'm still honing the new grinder for Red Bird. Had three different micro-jets beside the main cone, one spraying the backsplash of the machine, one my hand and one the counter and even the floor. Tiny little espresso dots everywhere!

When I get uneven extractions, I often fall back to using the WDT and/or dosing down. For whatever reason, dosing "too much" in a basket makes my shots more prone to channelling.

[vinster]

Yes, the chrome has peeled off the plastic group head cowl...

It looks like the coffee is coming out fast here. How long did this shot run? Was the picture taken towards the end?

[SameGuy]

Towards the end, yes. This was at about 24 seconds. I'm still dialling in the grind, but the channeling is definitely just operator error. I'll try dosing down and refining my initial distribution.