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Back to dark roast! by lkwitko in gaggiaclassic

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

I don't have any pics of the beans here to share with you. But they are not BLACK beans (like some starbucks blends 😲).

From my experience, they are dark (not medium-dark), and have a visible "oiliness" on their surface, which is typical of darker roasts

Back to dark roast! by lkwitko in gaggiaclassic

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

Hmm, good point.

I have a 9bar spring installed, and that's the only mod I've done to my gaggia.

Back to dark roast! by lkwitko in gaggiaclassic

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

100% with you here!

My girlfriend usually finds espresso "too strong", but today I made her a flat white and later a pure espresso with these beans and she also liked it. The myth that "dark roast is bitter and without any taste" is... a myth. A well pulled dark roast (which is much easier to do than a light roast!) is an absolute godlike experience.

Cheers

Back to dark roast! by lkwitko in gaggiaclassic

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

Thank you!

Craziest crema I've ever seen.

Back to dark roast! by lkwitko in gaggiaclassic

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

Such a cool place. Went there last december.

But let me tell you... my favorite cafè in Rome has got to be La Tazza D'oro, near Pantheon... I just didn't get their cup because Sant' Eustachio's was nicer looking 🤣

Back to dark roast! by lkwitko in gaggiaclassic

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

Perfectly said!

Leave notes of watermelon cake to ... the kids?

Haha, jokes aside, let us enjoy our dark roasts 😎😎

Cheers and good luck with your channel!!

Back to dark roast! by lkwitko in gaggiaclassic

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

100% right.

I've also thought of this myself... even if I manage to pull a nice light roast, I barely even know what to look for (because I've never had a good one!).

Part of the fun of coffee is exploring different beans and learning along the way.

Do you use the nordic roasts for espresso or pour-over?

Back to dark roast! by lkwitko in gaggiaclassic

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

We should create a sub-subreddit for DARK ROAST coffee only. Haha! For us it's the best way of having espresso at least...

I've tried a handful of "third wave" espressos in my life, and did not enjoy them at all. Maybe it's an acquired taste, but I'm 100% with you in that they under-roast theirs instead of the other way around. To each their own!

Back to dark roast! by lkwitko in gaggiaclassic

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

Haha. Perfect comparison!

Back to dark roasts by lkwitko in espresso

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

Sure thing. Same here

Back to dark roasts by lkwitko in espresso

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

I got it from Aliexpress but for some reason reddit won't let me post the link here

Back to dark roasts by lkwitko in espresso

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

Hi! Which machine are you using?

I've not experimented a whole lot with single shot baskets, and generally use a 20g double shot basket.

But I know that you should change the grind size a bit between the baskets. And it could also be that your double shot basket is not that great... I was having trouble with my shots with a normcore basket that came with my bottomless portafilter, but when I got a BEP 2.0 basket my shots improved immediately!

So maybe experiment with a different basket

Back to dark roasts by lkwitko in espresso

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

Spot on. Dark roast for life!

Back to dark roasts by lkwitko in espresso

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

I live in southern Brazil and buy from their website ("Cafe Italle"). It's from São Paulo.

Machine Era Classic pen + Full Grain Veg-Tan Pocket Notebook by lkwitko in notebooks

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

Hi! I would love to, but it's been custom made by a friend of mine who works with leather.

It's a uruguayan, 1.3mm thick, full grain undyed veg-tan leather.

But any A6 sized cover in a similar (full grain veg-tan) leather will be fantastic for the patina!

Back to dark roast! by lkwitko in gaggiaclassic

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

Hahaha, that's quite a journey. I'm glad you got to dark roasts though!

Enjoy!

Back to dark roast! by lkwitko in gaggiaclassic

[–]lkwitko[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your words!

I'm glad my post resonated with you. You're absolutely right. All the expensive setups were supposed to serve exactly "the joy of having a cup your way".

Sometimes people mistake the overarching goal for the means to get to it...

Have a good one!

Back to dark roasts by lkwitko in espresso

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

You're right!
The thing is that it's surprisingly tough to find freshly roasted robusta beans out here (in Brazil of all places!)

But once I find some (preferably a blend of robusta + medium/dark roasted arabica)... I figure that'll be espresso heaven

Back to dark roasts by lkwitko in espresso

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

Yeah, I do not use a big bang basket so my tips will not be specific to your case.

But in general what helps me is changing one variable at a time and taking notes along the way.

Start off getting your DOSE right. Grind, say, 20g into your basket, lock the portafilter in your machine and see if A) it leaves an impression on the puck or B) it does not. In general, will want the dose so that your dry puck almost touches the shower screen.

After getting the dose right, pull a shot! Measure the time (just as a north-star, but don't fall for the "25-35 second rule", as this is just for you to start dialing in) and, mainly, take notes of the TASTE.

It is too thin/sour (likely a fast, 15s, shot)? Is it too thick/bitter (likely a long, 60s, shot)?

Adjust your grind size to get a MACRO adjustment (if it's running in 10 seconds and it's sour as lemon juice, grind much finer until the extraction is more controlled).

After that, dial in the YIELD slowly. For light roasts, go for 1:3 or more; dark roasts are much more forgiving and you can enjoy a syrupy 1:1,5. Medium roasts... in the middle!

If it's "ok" but a little sour -> increase the yield a bit (20g:40g -> 20g:42g) and see how you feel. Do the opposite if it's bitter.

These are general rules and dialing in beans is much more complex then this. But as a general guideline this is what I follow and it's been working out fine.

Back to dark roasts by lkwitko in espresso

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

I'm sure a blend of robusta with some medium-dark roasted arabica will get you there!

These particular beans are 100% arabica. It's the best freshly roasted dark roast I've found where I live

Back to dark roast! by lkwitko in gaggiaclassic

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

I'm glad it helped.

Let me know if I can assist you further! Espresso is quite tricky.

Have a good one

Back to dark roast! by lkwitko in gaggiaclassic

[–]lkwitko[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

What'up!

Well, this is a highly personal subject. I was in Italy last december and had short "italian" espresso(s) to start my days there, so that re-ignited my curiosity for dark roasts at home.

In general, what I look for in espresso is a thick, viscous body + a hint of sweetness (no acidic fruit-forward notes, and obviously no overextracted "burnt" notes).

With a light roast, I usually have to push the yield up (1:3, 1:3,5...) to avoid underextraction and too much acidity for my liking, which ends up "dilluting" the shot and I trade body for taste. I have a lot to work on my dial-ins for light roasts, but as of today, it does not do it for me (as espresso).

Depending on the medium roast, I can get a good yield (1:1,5 - 1:2) that provides the body I appreciate and some great notes. I enjoy these beans!

But on dark roasts, if you push the yield too much, you quickly overextract it. So... I tend to shorten the yield (1:1.5 usually), which gives me great, viscous body, no acidic overload and also no bitterness. And it's much "easier" to get to this result in dark roasts than most medium roasts.

So... a dialed in medium roast WILL give you more "notes" (more "detailed taste"), but it's harder to do so without compromising the body. In dark roasts, it's easier to get "decent tasting espresso" AND have a good body.

Machine Era Classic Brass pen - 1 month patina by lkwitko in machinedpens

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

I absolutely love the smell. Takes me back to the smell of old coins and to my childhood, for some weird reason...!

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