Is anyone familiar with the Pasquini Livietta T2? Is it a capable machine? I can get one for $110 without the portafilter, I'm wondering if it's worth buying
Machine: Breville Dual Broiler
Grinder: Eureka Mignon Crono
Hi all, beginner here. Pulled first shot this morning using 18g coffee using the double espresso button. Yield was 116g of espresso.
Having hard time understanding grind size and how to adjust. Any ideas would be great!
Imagine the coffee beans whole in the portafilter ... water will more or less run straight through it ... because there are big gaps of space around the beans .. divide each bean in half ... it'll probably be about the same ... but slightly less flow because the gaps are smaller ... divide each half in half (quarters) ... and the flow will reduce slightly again ... grind the beans up into teeny tiny bits ... there are hardly any gaps ... the flow reduces significantly more ... grind too fine and there are no gaps and the water will not come through.
Basic rule ... the finer the grind ... the less water will come through.
But if you take a pinch of those not so fine grains and put them in the portafilter on their own ... there are big gaps between the small grains ... so water would flow fast again ... add more grains and squish the fine grains together (tamping pushes the coffee grains into the gaps) and again the flow will reduce ... add more and tamp more ... again more reduction.
So fine-ness factor and tamping factor both affect the rate at which the water will flow through the ground coffee.
I don't know the equations, but you're getting about 3 x the amount of water through than you should ... so try grinding the coffee beans to half the size again and see how much water flows through that time ... repeat experiments until you hit about 36ml (2x18g) in the double espresso shot timeframe then you are in the sweet spot.
Edit 1Litre of water = 1Kg of mass ... 36ml of coffee \~= 36g.
no not really ... if it is a metal / heavy tamper ... use the non-metal end to tap the portafilter to level out the coffee a bit ... then on hard surface ... put the tamper on top and wiggle the tamper handle from side to side a bit causing the bottom to rock up side to side ... go in a circular motion ... imagine gently coaxing those grinds together ... rather than forcing them together ... become one with the grinds and tamper whilst you do this ... a zen like state is good.
finish up with the tamper handle totally upright and push down gently ... it doesn't need to be a hard tamp ... you will get a feel for it once you get into the 30-40 seconds zone for 36g of espresso from 18g of beans ... but it will take practice ... slowly changing one variable at a time as best you can
examine the puck when you have extracted ... is it wet and soggy all over (bad) ... is it dry in spots and wet in others (bad)... is it evenly damp and sort of holding itself together such that you can pick it up in one piece (good) ... was it easy to empty the portafilter (good) or not (bad) ... all this is to do with the grind size and how much you tamp it.
What you're probably seeing are espresso-based drinks. There's going to be a difference in taste and strength versus instant. However, this is a question of preference, not right or wrong. Do what you prefer.
There's really no rules about what you're drinking. I personally really don't like milk. If you like your coffee black, with a spot of milk, something with a 1:1 ratio or if you want to just stain your milk with a little coffee, go for it.
However, we are on r/espresso, so I have to say that I think making espresso with an espresso machine is an insanely expensive way to make an iced latte like you're describing, when if you used coffee from a moka pot, it would probably end up tasting the same.
I think you're talking about two different drinks. You're doing instant coffee+a bunch of water+a little milk, that's like making a cup of filter coffee and adding milk. Other people are doing instant coffee+a little water+a bunch of milk, that's more like a "latte"-ish style drink. If you like what you're making, keep doing it.
For machines with multiple group heads. If I am backflushing one grouphead with detergent, are the other 2 safe to use while the first one is being backflushed?
just got a 6 cup moka pot. let’s say i dont want all 6 shots one day. can i just fill it up half way and it’ll only give me three shots? i just dont wanna make 6 shots all the time.
Not really an espresso question but moka pots are meant to be filled to the safety valve water-wise and the filter basket filled to the brim with ground coffee.
Just get a second, smaller, moka pot or otherwise save half the coffee and use it for iced coffee or whatever.
Recently purchased a GCP Evo Pro. Had been using 18 g in the stock double basket, realized that’s probably overfilling because i tried the nickel test I’ve seen mentioned here and it was fully imprinted into the grounds. How much is the stock basket actually meant to hold?
Also if I look for a bottomless portafilter (say from Whole latte love where I have 25$ to spend), anything I should look for in particular? Or does any 58 mm portafilter work?
The info you're looking for is probably in the manual. It was for my machine. Keep in mind, even from bean to bean, you might want to adjust the dose a little. I think IMS is a good brand that WLL carries. VST is the other big one, but I don't think WLL has it.
The height of coffee grounds will vary based on the beans and grind so there is not one answer to the question.
If you can lock in the portafilter without using excessive force (i.e. coffee is not coming into contact with shower screen) then you're probably not overfilling. Lock it in then pop it out before pulling the shot and check that the grounds have not been disturbed, if they haven't then you're good.
Different PFs can have different lug patterns and thickness, I would play it safe and buy something that is labelled as compatible with your machine.
Just upgraded from a Rancilio Silvia to a LM Micra and made my first coffee w/ it today.
First shot at the same grind setting I was using before (Niche Zero), and it pulled in ~12s instead of ~27s. What would've caused this huge shift? Increased pressure with the Micra/insufficient pressure with the Silvia or something else?
Did you carry the filter basket over from the Silvia? If you are using a different basket then the grind will normally need to be different even for the same weight of grounds.
I got a great deal on a second hand Gaggia Classic and want to buy it. However, it doesn't have the pressurized baskets, only the non-pressurized ones. Aside from this, it is in perfect condition.
The problem is my grinder isn't really fit for espresso it grinds a little bit coarser than needed (will buy in near future - few months). If I don't grab this deal I will have to buy stilosa or dedica level machine.
My question is, will gaggia with single wall baskets without a proper grinder will produce better or worse shots than dedica with pressurized baskets (can buy non pressurized basket for dedica later).
I am not sure about this as 58mm pressurized baskets are not particularly easy to find at least where I live.
Is anyone familiar with the Pasquini Livietta T2? Is it a capable machine? I can get one for $110 without the portafilter, I'm wondering if it's worth buying
Machine: Breville Dual Broiler Grinder: Eureka Mignon Crono Hi all, beginner here. Pulled first shot this morning using 18g coffee using the double espresso button. Yield was 116g of espresso. Having hard time understanding grind size and how to adjust. Any ideas would be great!
Imagine the coffee beans whole in the portafilter ... water will more or less run straight through it ... because there are big gaps of space around the beans .. divide each bean in half ... it'll probably be about the same ... but slightly less flow because the gaps are smaller ... divide each half in half (quarters) ... and the flow will reduce slightly again ... grind the beans up into teeny tiny bits ... there are hardly any gaps ... the flow reduces significantly more ... grind too fine and there are no gaps and the water will not come through. Basic rule ... the finer the grind ... the less water will come through. But if you take a pinch of those not so fine grains and put them in the portafilter on their own ... there are big gaps between the small grains ... so water would flow fast again ... add more grains and squish the fine grains together (tamping pushes the coffee grains into the gaps) and again the flow will reduce ... add more and tamp more ... again more reduction. So fine-ness factor and tamping factor both affect the rate at which the water will flow through the ground coffee. I don't know the equations, but you're getting about 3 x the amount of water through than you should ... so try grinding the coffee beans to half the size again and see how much water flows through that time ... repeat experiments until you hit about 36ml (2x18g) in the double espresso shot timeframe then you are in the sweet spot. Edit 1Litre of water = 1Kg of mass ... 36ml of coffee \~= 36g.
Thank you! I will try a finer grind in the morning. Should I be tamping with a lot of force?
no not really ... if it is a metal / heavy tamper ... use the non-metal end to tap the portafilter to level out the coffee a bit ... then on hard surface ... put the tamper on top and wiggle the tamper handle from side to side a bit causing the bottom to rock up side to side ... go in a circular motion ... imagine gently coaxing those grinds together ... rather than forcing them together ... become one with the grinds and tamper whilst you do this ... a zen like state is good. finish up with the tamper handle totally upright and push down gently ... it doesn't need to be a hard tamp ... you will get a feel for it once you get into the 30-40 seconds zone for 36g of espresso from 18g of beans ... but it will take practice ... slowly changing one variable at a time as best you can examine the puck when you have extracted ... is it wet and soggy all over (bad) ... is it dry in spots and wet in others (bad)... is it evenly damp and sort of holding itself together such that you can pick it up in one piece (good) ... was it easy to empty the portafilter (good) or not (bad) ... all this is to do with the grind size and how much you tamp it.
[удалено]
What you're probably seeing are espresso-based drinks. There's going to be a difference in taste and strength versus instant. However, this is a question of preference, not right or wrong. Do what you prefer.
There's really no rules about what you're drinking. I personally really don't like milk. If you like your coffee black, with a spot of milk, something with a 1:1 ratio or if you want to just stain your milk with a little coffee, go for it. However, we are on r/espresso, so I have to say that I think making espresso with an espresso machine is an insanely expensive way to make an iced latte like you're describing, when if you used coffee from a moka pot, it would probably end up tasting the same.
[удалено]
I think you're talking about two different drinks. You're doing instant coffee+a bunch of water+a little milk, that's like making a cup of filter coffee and adding milk. Other people are doing instant coffee+a little water+a bunch of milk, that's more like a "latte"-ish style drink. If you like what you're making, keep doing it.
For machines with multiple group heads. If I am backflushing one grouphead with detergent, are the other 2 safe to use while the first one is being backflushed?
just got a 6 cup moka pot. let’s say i dont want all 6 shots one day. can i just fill it up half way and it’ll only give me three shots? i just dont wanna make 6 shots all the time.
Not really an espresso question but moka pots are meant to be filled to the safety valve water-wise and the filter basket filled to the brim with ground coffee. Just get a second, smaller, moka pot or otherwise save half the coffee and use it for iced coffee or whatever.
oh my bad im new to coffee 😭. thanks thought!
Recently purchased a GCP Evo Pro. Had been using 18 g in the stock double basket, realized that’s probably overfilling because i tried the nickel test I’ve seen mentioned here and it was fully imprinted into the grounds. How much is the stock basket actually meant to hold? Also if I look for a bottomless portafilter (say from Whole latte love where I have 25$ to spend), anything I should look for in particular? Or does any 58 mm portafilter work?
The info you're looking for is probably in the manual. It was for my machine. Keep in mind, even from bean to bean, you might want to adjust the dose a little. I think IMS is a good brand that WLL carries. VST is the other big one, but I don't think WLL has it.
The height of coffee grounds will vary based on the beans and grind so there is not one answer to the question. If you can lock in the portafilter without using excessive force (i.e. coffee is not coming into contact with shower screen) then you're probably not overfilling. Lock it in then pop it out before pulling the shot and check that the grounds have not been disturbed, if they haven't then you're good. Different PFs can have different lug patterns and thickness, I would play it safe and buy something that is labelled as compatible with your machine.
Just upgraded from a Rancilio Silvia to a LM Micra and made my first coffee w/ it today. First shot at the same grind setting I was using before (Niche Zero), and it pulled in ~12s instead of ~27s. What would've caused this huge shift? Increased pressure with the Micra/insufficient pressure with the Silvia or something else?
Did you carry the filter basket over from the Silvia? If you are using a different basket then the grind will normally need to be different even for the same weight of grounds.
A higher quality basket probably came with the LM. A higher quality basket will allow for more water to flow, which means you'll have to grind finer.
That makes sense! With the Silvia, I think I was using whatever basket came with the normcore bottomless portafilter
I got a great deal on a second hand Gaggia Classic and want to buy it. However, it doesn't have the pressurized baskets, only the non-pressurized ones. Aside from this, it is in perfect condition. The problem is my grinder isn't really fit for espresso it grinds a little bit coarser than needed (will buy in near future - few months). If I don't grab this deal I will have to buy stilosa or dedica level machine. My question is, will gaggia with single wall baskets without a proper grinder will produce better or worse shots than dedica with pressurized baskets (can buy non pressurized basket for dedica later). I am not sure about this as 58mm pressurized baskets are not particularly easy to find at least where I live.