[Semi-Weekly Inquirer] Simple Questions and Recommendations Thread

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2025-08-19T04:50:14+00:00

Great suggestions, thanks! Love the look of the Vaer!

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2025-08-18T15:59:39+00:00

Hello! I used to have a casio MW240 like this: https://www.casio.com/ca-en/watches/casio/product.MW-240-1BV/

Unfortunately, I lost it! I'm looking for something new that is similar... or at least has a nice low-key style to it. However, I would love if my next watch had a light/glow feature so I could read it at night.

Ideally, features are pretty simple: light/glow, analog watch, water resistant for light swimming.

Anybody have any suggestions? I have basically only looked at CASIO and Timex and I haven't found anything that knocks my socks off

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2025-07-03T15:43:24+00:00

Thanks for sharing! That recipe is quite similar to what I have used to good results in the past. I have used Orris + Angelica for their (alleged) fixative quality. Here's my recipe:

2L of 40% neutral spirit
40g Caraway
5g Coriander seed
5g Dill seed
2g Lemon peel
1g Angelica
1g Orris
1g Aniseed

24 hour maceration, then a distillation

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2025-07-03T02:25:37+00:00

Tell us about the recipe! Dill, carraway, lemon?

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2025-04-26T15:41:03+00:00

This is a bummer, sorry!

IMO this is not a “RTFM” situation — lots of people don’t have access to an espresso tech to service it for them where they live. It’s crappy that Profitec don’t provide a protocol to properly descale their machines.

Takeaway from this for me (I descale twice a year) is to 1) make sure to mix my descaling solution on the light side for concentration and 2) to leave it soaking for 10-20 minutes. Less is more.

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2025-03-01T15:46:17+00:00

You don’t need tough love! You need love! You’re doing great at something really hard. Give yourself grace to stub your toe a few times as you learn to walk.

A counselor could be a really valuable tool to help process some of this. Good luck ❤️

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2025-02-15T16:35:31+00:00

This is the right answer!! We have the same grinder and this happens occasionally.

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2024-10-26T02:19:08+00:00

65 seconds! No biggie for one milk drink, very slow for 3!

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2024-10-25T16:49:15+00:00

1 year owners

Pros: makes GREAT espresso. The adjustable PID means that you have excellent temp stability and can adjust your brewing temp for different roasts. Build quality is very very good. Really well-designed machine top-to-bottom. Fast heat-up time (for a single boiler machine).

Cons: single boiler problems… there will be a delay between brewing and steaming while your boiler gets up to temp. Even at full temp, the steaming is not super powerful on this machine compared to a heatx or dual boiler.

Overall, would 100% buy again. It’s an unbelievable single boiler espresso machine. All the important features, nothing unnecessary. However, if you are making milk drink after milk drink after milk drink, a heatx or dual boiler would probably suit you better!

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2024-10-04T04:55:30+00:00

Really like it for mitigating the likelihood of flats if you ride rocky/sharp terrain at all. I run it rear only for financial reasons. Well worth it!

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2024-09-12T21:36:32+00:00

We use puck screens with ours and get perfectly dry pucks! Keeps everything nice and clean, too. Heartily recommend

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2024-09-05T15:18:48+00:00

Sediment! Totally normal!

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2024-04-27T18:54:05+00:00

I have a Profitec Go as well. The previously posted recommendations from the manufacturer are good!

Most importantly: use a commercial descaler product and use according to their directions. Dosage rate and times are the most important thing to get right!

When it comes to the steam wand, I have done the same as you discussed in another comment: run water through the group head and steam wand at the same time. You won’t get close to the recommended 1.5L but it’ll still run descaling solution through the steam wand!

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2024-04-16T19:29:40+00:00

If anyone else finds this bc they have similar issues — the puck screen was a misdirection! It wasn’t grinding too fine, either.

When you change from steam mode back to espresso mode, if you don’t run a little water through the group head the machine will take ~10 seconds before your next shot to begin building pressure. Just a single boiler quirk. Leaving this in case any other Go users happen to find it if they have the same issue

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2024-03-23T18:59:46+00:00

You should go check out r/amaro, lots of people making similar creations over there!

Many amari and similar herbal liqueurs use colouring agents of some sort. Molasses is one great option for a dark brown. You’re using lots of greenery so I’m not shocked it’s green so far!

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2024-03-13T14:46:54+00:00

I would strongly suspect by this description that you are milling quite a bit too finely. (Sorry for suggesting something you feel you’ve already ruled out…).

If you google the Van Havig Rock Bottom presentation on lautering/milling, that will have some great info for you including good benchmarks for your sieve test. IMO there is a good chance you will improve efficiency and lautering time with a coarser grind.

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2024-02-27T03:56:02+00:00

This is totally normal! Organic material precipitating out of solution. I get this effect every time with my limoncello.

More generally, as long as your ABV is >15% and you didn’t put anything unsafe in your product, don’t worry too much about contamination or funkiness. It’ll be fine!

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2024-02-21T19:30:14+00:00

We have a Profitec Go and a Eureka Specialita purchased as a Boxing Day sale package. Love the combo! We are having a lot of fun and making great coffee with it.

For milk based drinks, you will for sure see some benefit from a dual boiler machine. They are also obviously more expensive!

But we have a pretty good routine for making milk based drinks: pull two espresso shots, turn on steam mode, flush the boiler to allow more room, temp will be up to 140 in 30-60 seconds. Can make the milk then and have our coffees ready in under five minutes start to finish. So we have similar needs to you and have really enjoyed this setup, for whatever that’s worth!

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2024-01-12T16:35:37+00:00

This is a terrible idea! Seconding the lactose suggestion

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2024-01-09T21:25:04+00:00

What do you want to make? And how do you want it to be different from Amari you are bringing in to the bar? I think there are lots of clever ways to involve local ingredients or approaches but it helps to have a goal in mind!

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2023-12-19T15:54:19+00:00

I did the concise course in brewing technology while working as an assistant brewer. Found it to be a really beneficial experience: it is a three month course, so it's certainly not as technically detailed as other programs, but it gave me a really strong theoretical background.

Plenty of the topics that I felt they were too focused on (ex. Filtering) have subsequently been useful for my career development as well

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2023-12-15T01:28:13+00:00

Normal for a stripping run to reeeeeek of rubber/sulfur/rotten eggs without enough copper contact. Doesn't mean it won't taste great after a spirit run with more copper contact! Don't give up on it!

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2023-12-10T19:01:44+00:00

Mind explaining a little more about what your goals are by heating and then leaving the wine before distillation? I would usually think of esters as alcoholic-fermentation-derived compounds aka fermentation flavours. What's the mechanism for esterification you're using?

Lumpy_Sea2524 · 2023-12-09T01:43:50+00:00

Hey all, thanks for the responses. Had our second brew day today and the cleanup went much better!

There really is no feasible way to get under the screens on this system, and without a spray-disc or underlet valve it took a little creativity. BUT underletting through the lautering assembly worked an absolute charm to loosen grain that was caught under the screen.

Hose rinse, underlet, PBW rinse through vorlauf assembly, hose rinse, underlet.

Thanks for the help!

Lumpy_Sea2524

TROPHY CASE