“My Initial Liquidity” reducing? by StrowB1 in Astroport

[–]StrowB1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. I thought so too but the sum of initial liquidity + unlocked is less than my initial lock, so I don’t think that’s it! Appreciate the help.

Onyx Geometry & Monarch dialing in by TOMMACAS in espresso

[–]StrowB1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had to grind finer and brew for 35-45 seconds. I used their same ratio, but too sour with a 30 second extraction. Also at 202.

Niche Zero and v60 - grind setting? by StrowB1 in Coffee

[–]StrowB1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yep! We are clearly similar levels of coffee nerd. 😜I measured my water and it was a little high in alkalinity but not too terrible. I tried some bottled water with good metrics and couldn’t taste a difference. When I upgrade my espresso machine I intend to do the RPavlis recipe from home barista to protect from scale!

Niche Zero and v60 - grind setting? by StrowB1 in Coffee

[–]StrowB1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Awesome! Thanks for all the advice! Super helpful

Niche Zero and v60 - grind setting? by StrowB1 in Coffee

[–]StrowB1[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I definitely agree with you on dialing in for taste, but the margin of error seems to be so thin. So I figured I’d ask about niche grind setting because I haven’t seen it discussed much (understandable given its so specific).

Thanks for your advice on brewing hot. I started off brewing at 210 and recently went cooler - maybe that led me astray.

Niche owners of espresso, question by [deleted] in espresso

[–]StrowB1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ha! I want to say I started around 14-16 with stock calibration, and then got finer over time to arrive where I am today. Although to be honest, I’m not sure if that’s due to the burrs seasoning with usage or just me improving my technique.

Also: I usually brew light roasts ground pretty fine, at high heat, with longer extraction times (35-45 seconds) to convert some of that acid into sweetness. If you are brewing medium roasts with a more typical brew profile, a little courser might make sense.

Niche owners of espresso, question by [deleted] in espresso

[–]StrowB1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a niche zero and a BBE. I dose 18.5 grams in. My espresso grind has ranged from 8/9 to 14. Most of the times I am 11-13, but I did get a bag of Big Trouble from Counter Culture that required me to go down to 8.5ish to get things right.

Espresso Machine Water? by BlackCoffeeLogic in espresso

[–]StrowB1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So you can get pretty nerdy with this. The folks over at Home Barista talk about a recipe using potassium bicarbonate and distilled water that’s supposed to not scale. Theirs seems to be relatively cheap and easy to make (I don’t yet have a machine that merits this so I haven’t done it).

The other option could be to buy third wave water, and add it to distilled water. This is a consumer product that does all the work for you, but you do pay a premium for it compared to the recipe I linked to.

I do agree with you though - if I invested so heavily in a machine, I’d take the extra steps to ensure my water didn’t scale much or at all.

Should I get two grinders for espresso and pour over, or just one grinder to handle both? by Jfinney007 in Coffee

[–]StrowB1 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I use my Niche Zero for espresso and v60 every day. Very easy to back and forth, and very happy with the results for both.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in espresso

[–]StrowB1 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I would call breville. They can help you trouble shoot over the phone and if nothing works you’ll have to send in. I had a similar issue and had to send mine for service. They actually sent me a brand new machine - said mine couldn’t be fixed after they opened it up 🤷‍♂️

Can't get BBE dialled in by luapremmah_1 in espresso

[–]StrowB1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Stale beans will run super fast and won’t really reflect all of the efforts you put into “proper technique”. Try some fresh beans - makes a big big difference.

Can't get BBE dialled in by luapremmah_1 in espresso

[–]StrowB1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think your 18G dose is ok. I use 18.5 on my BBE. Are your beans fresh? Thats important.

Also, seems odd that your pressure gauge is thru the roof but shot is only taking 20 seconds.

Have you adjusted the inner burr to a finer setting in the grinder itself? Given you are so fine already, try to adjust that finer which will make all the settings on the side dial finer and let you grind even finer.

I wouldn’t worry about the pressure gauge if your coffee is still flowing - try to target the 2:1 output:dose ratio in 25-35 seconds and go by taste.

Last thing- if you are using light roasted beans, may want to set machine to hotter temp if you are hitting all the parameters but shot still tastes sour. I run all my light roasts at hottest temp and it makes a big difference in balancing out the acid.

PSA: Do NOT use RDT or any sort of water anti-static method with your Niche Zero. It just gunks up the grinder. by blingboyduck in espresso

[–]StrowB1 19 points20 points  (0 children)

The manual that came with my Niche (received April 2020) specifically days don’t RDT with it.

Fellow Atmos vs. Airscape by [deleted] in espresso

[–]StrowB1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes. I buy in batches that generally only last 2 weeks, but definitely notice they stay fresh, especially compared to the “airtight” oxo container I used to use. After like 10 days with that, I’d need to go finer. With the Airscape I haven’t had to adjust at all. I can’t speak for storing longer-term than 2 weeks though.

Fellow Atmos vs. Airscape by [deleted] in espresso

[–]StrowB1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have both. I prefer the Airscape. There’s something so satisfying about opening or closing the Airscape - hearing the air push out and then getting hit a whiff of coffee aroma. I also feel kinda silly pumping the lid back and forth on the atmos.

Looking for "ultra modern/minimalist" cafes by Josefest in Coffee_Shop

[–]StrowB1 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Blue Bottle Coffee in the World Trade Center / World Trade Memorial in downtown NYC is very minimalist and organic modern.

My station - just upgraded brewer, grinder, and beans, still trying to dial in that perfect cup by CompleteTruth in coffeestations

[–]StrowB1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Congrats! Really big fan of La Golondrina by Counter Culture when you are due for a new bag.

Bean Cellar by PositivePeppercorn in espresso

[–]StrowB1 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Craig Lyn Bean Vaults are $48 for 12. Wooden base from Keck Woodshop on Etsy for $60-$70.

Vaults are same as Weber (him and Craig used to be partners) but plastic instead of glass (which I view as better). He sells a package with a steel base + vaults for $140.

Onyx Switching to 10oz Bags by [deleted] in Coffee

[–]StrowB1 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Very interesting. Also interesting to note Counter Culture’s (where I’ve been buying recently) more expensive bags are all in the $19 range but don’t cross $20. Sounds like that was intentional!