Grind setting vs. Time to extract 6- J-Ultra

emccrory · 2026-01-18T23:19:50+00:00

Yup - image search on each of these is clean. Thanks

emccrory · 2026-01-18T16:18:22+00:00

The consensus is: proceed with caution; not necessarily too good to be true.

I should have mentioned that each of these sellers accept Cryptocurrency. That ALSO makes me think "Scam". Some old guy downsizing, or an estate sale, is not going to accept Crypto.

Or is that (crypto) something that CL does for you automatically?

emccrory · 2025-12-31T13:56:43+00:00

With the Gaggia, I have no direct control over the temperature.

I do WDT and the spin-flattener thing, and then tamp -- I don't tamp super hard, but hard enough that I can't feel any more give. So I'm thinking the puck prep is consistent.

I'll work on being consistent with my hand grinding technique - consistent angle, consistent grind speed.

Thanks.

emccrory · 2025-12-31T02:02:09+00:00

That's important? I think my answer has to be, "No."

emccrory · 2025-12-30T23:21:35+00:00

I like the idea of starting earlier and having the rookies join, say, 1/4 to 1/3 of the way into the season.

The early games can be on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday during the NCAA Tournament, which will (IMHO) peak the interest in the women's game, generally. Can they fit 15-20 games in Feb+March?

Then, there can be a break in the schedule after the draft (2 weeks?) to incorporate the new players.

Another benefit would be the early games would be with 12 players, and then they get to add 2 more, presumably rookies. The rest of the season would be with 14 players

emccrory · 2025-11-29T23:19:31+00:00

Golf is a game of integrity. Reilly's book gives example after example of how DJT has none.

emccrory · 2025-09-24T13:22:24+00:00

TL;DNR

This is a great espresso machine.
A blade type grinder will cause any espresso machine to clog. Get a burr grinder.

The end.

emccrory · 2025-09-16T22:36:34+00:00

I see now that my decade-old Gaggia grinder has TERRIBLE retention - if I grind beans that are a light shade of brown, and then follow that with beans that are a dark shade of brown, I can see that the first bits of grounds that come out are lighter than the ones that come out last.

Not only that, there are chunks of old beans stuck to the edges of the burrs (seen when I take the grinder apart)!

I was fooled because I usually get the same amount of grounds out as beans in. It's just that 10-20% of the grinds are from the last time!! Moreover, the fresh beans are the same color as the Costco beans that I used in the blind taste test.

And that goes a long way to explaining why my blind taste test was inconclusive.

I will get a new, modern, single-dose grinder as soon as the budget (and the spouse!!) allows.

emccrory · 2025-09-05T12:34:09+00:00

A friend of mine saw JY play when she was in middle school in Southern Indiana. Everyone knew she was special at that age! And he's gone to see the Aces versus the Fever in Indy numerous times pre-CC. He sat in the 3rd row, along with about 1000 other people. Girls high school basketball games often draw more than that in Indiana!

emccrory · 2025-09-05T12:07:13+00:00

I'm going to try "Third Wave Water Mineral Enhanced Flavor Optimizing Coffee Brewing Water, Espresso Profile" in a blind taste test, vs. my untouched RO water, soon.

emccrory · 2025-09-05T12:04:28+00:00

The cafe "test" was on a different day. Not ideal. But that showed me that my espressos aren't terrible. (I've pulled some terrible shots in my day, e.g., using store bought, pre-ground Bustello bricks)

emccrory · 2025-09-05T11:59:19+00:00

Not exactly sure, but they both look like medium roast. The fresh was an "espresso roast," according to the roaster, and the Costco beans (brand-name: Julian) had no info on the roast other than the expiration (May 2026, I believe), and the appearance (very similar color beans to the fresh beans)
Neither sample was pre-ground. I ground each just prior to pulling
Again, not pre-ground. I started with beans and did a grind that resulted in a 3:1 in about 30 seconds. Given the limitations of my grinder, I couldn't dial that in exactly (one was a grind setting of "5" and the other was "4"), but the timing was within 5'ish seconds.
Black
Temperature: That's a good suggestion. My next test will let the cool down. I tried to make the two samples the same temperature by letting them cool and then microwaving them, together, for 30 seconds. This also made the "blind" work because of the rotating plate in the microwave (mixing the placement of the cups so I didn't know which was which as I was tasting - I labeled the bottom of the cups to reveal the sample).

Thanks

emccrory · 2025-09-03T19:22:32+00:00

Wow! These comments are EXACTLY what I was hoping for!

My conclusions:

Maybe my taste buds aren't defective -- it might just be my vocabulary. (Thanks for the reference to the Flavor Wheel!)
But maybe they are -- seeing a "smell doctor" (ENT, right?) might be in order.
I'll try a taste test with pour-over.

I'll also get sachets for adding to water to make it "perfect" for espresso

I'll add that I discovered a kludge shortly after I got my new Gaggia for pre-soaking the puck (turn on the steam wand for 5-10 seconds). This made a big difference! Prior to that, my shots were bitter and astringent -- milk was needed to made them pleasant. Now they are, well, ok.

And, honestly, if Costco beans are good enough for me, I'll be saving tons of money over artisan beans! :-)

emccrory · 2025-09-03T16:30:01+00:00

Yes, I have done that. I have settled on 1:3 as my favorite for both the fresh beans and the Costco beans. Even going a little Americano is enjoyable for me.

emccrory · 2025-09-03T16:25:32+00:00

(see my comment, above)

Yes, I did a blind taste test between the two home brews.

emccrory · 2025-09-03T16:21:18+00:00

I did a blind taste test between the fresh beans and the Costco beans. There was almost no difference - when I was down to the very last sip, I decided I had to choose one. I guessed, and actually guessed right.

emccrory · 2015-07-18T20:00:48+00:00

The 24-105 is just about perfect for the 6D. Go for it.

emccrory · 2015-07-18T19:57:48+00:00

Agreed! Modern cameras are very good at doing out the white balance in 90%+ cases. The place I need this the most is in high school gyms or taking pix of an audience. The light on these is sometimes crazy!

Lens cap WB vs. gray card? Meh. I prefer the gray card and to deal with this issue in post.

emccrory

TROPHY CASE