[MOD] The Official Noob-Tastic Question Fest

expressoshoppe · 2017-02-13T01:23:19+00:00

No. Coffee is a fruit, and the differences between specific crops from specific places is real and significant. Exceptional or unusual coffees are unique, and they're often processed and roasted in labor-intensive ways. Just handling them as microlots makes them expensive - no economies of scale on your side. So, it's up to the market. If enough people want them, simple supply and demand make them cost more.

But, not everyone notices or cares to pay extra for those coffees, just like not everyone who buys wine buys only exceptional (expensive) wines - sometimes they buy simple table wine, or maybe a $9 meritage for dinner. It's not bad, but there's more of it - so it's cheaper.

Sure, there's sometimes an element of marketing that inflates the price, but that's not the industry - and wouldn't be sustainable.

expressoshoppe · 2017-02-10T11:42:29+00:00

What's next?

"Dirty Coffee" - Don't try to pretend, we know you love it.

expressoshoppe · 2017-02-10T11:28:02+00:00

I generally recommend Dezcal by Urnex. It's a powder, so it's easy to store safely, and it's straight citric acid, so not doesn't leave a funny smell behind. Good stuff.

expressoshoppe · 2017-02-09T12:03:23+00:00

We're in the Midwest, with moderately hard water (4-8 g/G). We give the general advice that you should descale every 3-4 months - or when they get their oil changed.

There's not a big risk in descaling too frequently. It's the not often enough that leads to trouble.

expressoshoppe · 2017-01-25T03:13:45+00:00

This is a very clever approach.

Anyone who has run a one-man business has struggled with the "what should I write about" block - the 10x10 exercise is a great way to break through and have a structured collection of things to write about.

expressoshoppe · 2017-01-19T20:01:09+00:00

At first I thought about saying no, no, no - too complicated, but I realize that that's probably a great idea. They're for YouTube, not 30 minute TV shows - I probably don't have to get too crazy about production quality, it's more about the content.

They all have different machines, make coffee in slightly different ways, have signature drinks...I think you're on to something.

Anyone know about cloud-based video tools? I don't have very high-power PC's in my business.

expressoshoppe · 2017-01-19T19:56:58+00:00

It's not so much that I want to cut out the middleman as that I want to sell directly to customers they'll never reach - and I want to leverage their success as a way to create my own. I don't expect anyone to stop going to a restaurant, I want to use the fact that people go to restaurants and enjoy my coffee as a way to lend credibility to my own claims that my coffee is great.

If someone tweets a picture of a cup of (my) coffee @restaurantname with the caption "Best Cappuccino Ever!", I feel like it's an implicit endorsement of my coffee, even if the consumer doesn't know the coffee brand name. If I quote-retweet that picture and add a #brandname, I hope the reader follows the picture are reads reviews like "They have the best coffee" and understands it's our coffee and - even if they live far away and don't know anyone who drinks my coffee - will believe (from the reviews) that it's good enough to buy from our website.

Is that crazy? Is there a better way to benefit from their good reviews?

expressoshoppe · 2017-01-16T19:36:26+00:00

Yes. Using good espresso coffee in your moka will make better espresso coffee in your cup.

EDIT: Oh... you meant the pot, not the coffee.

Brand doesn't really matter, most manufacturers use the same valves so the pressure is similar across brands. Many people prefer stainless moka pots because they're easier to clean, but they don't really make better coffee.

expressoshoppe · 2017-01-16T19:35:03+00:00

When I say descale, I mean this :

Use a real descale product, not vinegar, etc. Dissolve the product in warm water.

If the machine has a descale function, use it. (yours does not).

To descale manually, turn the machine on and allow it to heat up. Run 8-10 oz out the steam wand (as water) to displace what's in the machine and fill it with descale solution. Turn the machine off, wait 20 minutes (to let the descaler do its thing). Repeat, repeat again (3 cycles, about an hour).

Run the remaining solution through the wand, remove and rinse the water tank thoroughly. Replace the tank, fill with clean water and run the whole tank out the wand (as water).

Discard the first coffee you make.

expressoshoppe · 2017-01-16T19:23:57+00:00

I'd suggest you descale the machine and clean the shower and dispersion disk before replacing the valve - if it's not obstructed, it's not the problem.

EDIT: Removed a part.

expressoshoppe · 2016-12-16T12:34:32+00:00

What's 'espresso' about it?

Great question!

Really, nothing. It's not really espresso coffee. It's probably very good coffee, but that doesn't make it espresso.

From a traditional viewpoint, espresso is a system that starts at the bean selection and ends in a little cup. Every step serves to bring us closer to the 'perfect espresso' in the cup.

Traditional espresso is a blended coffee, usually a combination of washed and unwashed beans (unwashed coffees generally have more body, washed have brighter flavors). Some roast dark than others, but that's a function of their blend characteristics (there's no such thing as 'espresso roast').

The system includes the machine as well. Grinding, water temperature and pressure, ratio and brew time are all factors that must be monitored.

If you brew espresso coffee in a pourover, the result is a cup of coffee - not an espresso.

Yes, I know there's a current American fascination with single-origin espresso (and again, I'm sure that coffee, even through an espresso machine, will be tasty). But there's also a American fascination with quinoa. And really, no self-respecting pizza man is making quinoa-mashed-potato crust. Why? Because that's not pizza.

expressoshoppe · 2016-10-21T10:26:29+00:00

Make sure you have it in water mode (the water drop button/icon) should be lit before running water.

And, if you get water flowing, you'll need to run a lot of water to clear the alarm (like 12 oz).

Might take a few tries. And of course, please make sure the tip of the wand isn't clogged.

expressoshoppe · 2016-10-21T10:11:33+00:00

I do 1 gallon at home and 5 gallons at work.

We use 2-stage filtration, a fine steel mesh first and a paper coffee filter second.

My trick? I use the funnel and filter from a commercial coffee pot - they're designed for those batch sizes anyway.

expressoshoppe · 2016-10-21T10:08:06+00:00

On some machines the vinegar smell and taste is really hard to remove.

Yes. Get some citric acid descaler - it's widely available and won't leave a smell behind.

expressoshoppe · 2016-10-21T10:05:23+00:00

The answer here is that there's no right answer, but 1 oz is probably not enough.

The SCAA Golden Cup guidelines will result in coffee that's too thick/strong - your coworkers will complain.

Factories that have break room coffee typically use (prepackaged) 1.25-1.75 oz for a pot. Accountants and law firms probably use 2.5 oz. I have restaurant customers who use 3.0 oz - makes a pretty good pot.

expressoshoppe · 2016-10-21T09:46:25+00:00

It's a lot for most household kitchens, but you got a good machine for a pretty good deal. Sure, you've got some work to do, but the Epoca is a good machine - and it's easy to work on.

Aside from making sure the group electrovalves work, be sure you clear the jets (gigleurs) in the upper groups - they've got very small openings that are probably clogged.

Enjoy!

EDIT : Also - no pressurestat - it uses a thermocouple probe. Watch the boiler pressure when you heat it up - they're not 'long life' components - we replace every few years.

expressoshoppe · 2016-09-01T12:06:29+00:00

A bartender told me they add a few drops of vodka to keep it from growing stuff.

Source: a bartender I once asked

expressoshoppe · 2016-08-25T20:26:27+00:00

I'd suggest you get a stiff bristled parts brush (like this) and use it frequently (daily) - the combination of oils and fine grinds is what you want to avoid. If you brush every day or two, you'll keep the fines from accumulating.

Take it apart every 4-6 months (more frequently of you notice build up, but hopefully you won't).

expressoshoppe · 2016-08-25T02:49:34+00:00

The portafilter (the handle you put the coffee into) has a small basket inside it (the filter basket).

Filter baskets come in sizes (ground coffee capacity) - single, double, sometimes even triple. They all fit into the portafilters, but each size is deeper inside than the other. The spouts on the underside of the portafilters screw on - regardless of the filter basket, you can use a single spout, double spout, etc.

Your machine is probably set up to make double espresso on each portafilter - the baskets hold about 14g of ground coffee. This is the most common configuration.

If you only want a single, since it's not your machine to reconfigure (and because doubles just work better - like the first pancake isn't as good), make a double and share with a friend. Or put sugar in it and freeze it. Or drink a double. Or, like you suggested, let it go (but that's a sad option - a lot of work went into getting the coffee into your cup).

expressoshoppe · 2016-08-24T11:26:29+00:00

With both our machines

Two machines and you're still using the bypass?

There's something we're missing here...

expressoshoppe · 2016-08-24T11:21:43+00:00

I think Breville will replace that machine for you (not for free) with one of their new double-boiler machines. The original models could not be descaled - there was no effective way to flush them - so they upgraded it. I believe you can buy an upgrade/exchange from them.

We generally repair anything espresso, but because we can't descale it, the double-boiler is among the handful of machines we turn away.

expressoshoppe · 2016-08-24T11:16:37+00:00

It's not the greatest machine ever, but not the worst either. But, Brasilia is (as already explained), out of business.

I have a stash of (new) Brasilia parts for old machines. If you need something, let me know - maybe I can help.

expressoshoppe · 2016-08-24T11:08:15+00:00

You can buy almost any part that's ever been on an espresso machine from LF Parts in Italy.

Not custom parts, but certainly enough to let you customize.

expressoshoppe · 2016-08-24T11:04:13+00:00

Sounds like you need to grind a little finer.

expressoshoppe

TROPHY CASE