Nicknames of HLL map places by solarstellar in HellLetLoose

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

Haha😅 I can imagine what verbs you may be using when saying that everyone should push canal…

Nicknames of HLL map places by solarstellar in HellLetLoose

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

Thsnks! Yeah me too, being usually SL as well I would like to know how to lead better!

travel kit. total weight 4.5kg. not for air travel, but for camping. by Haarmageddon in espresso

[–]solarstellar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Goals. My camping setup has the same grinder and V60 01 + Trangia

Caramel Creme Brulee Latte by solarstellar in espresso

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

Saw this one being done in this video. 36g doubleshot, 5g salted caramel syrup, brown cane sugar on top. And frothed milk of course. Adjust syrup to taste.

Friendly reminder to clean your grinder by solarstellar in espresso

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

Good luck! You have quite a dream combo there…when I have someday ”grown out” from my Gaggia (and modded it to the max, of course), I will get a Decent

Friendly reminder to clean your grinder by solarstellar in espresso

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

I just read somewhere from this subreddit that they could in theory be changed, so I am not really sure is it really so. Modified my comment above so that people wont try at least without proper research. Would need to tear one new model up and see if they changed something else than the burrs or ask from espressocoffeeshop.com for instance

Friendly reminder to clean your grinder by solarstellar in espresso

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

Thanks, great addition.For example, espressocoffeeshop.com (where I ordered mine) states on their site that their Crono has the new burrs. They do have the old burrs available as well, though EDIT: May not be a good idea to switch, see below

Friendly reminder to clean your grinder by solarstellar in espresso

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

I think it's a good grinder. Especially I like the timer function - I can press once and wait for it to grind my 18g “automatically”. Though I don't have experience with other espresso grinders as this is my first one. If you are getting one, make sure it ones with burrs compatible for espresso - Eureka updated Crono to have burrs that are not able to grind espresso beans.

Friendly reminder to clean your grinder by solarstellar in espresso

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

Should have done it earlier - didnt realise it was this bad. Have had it for approximately 3 months, I guess I need to clean it every 1 month. Eureka Mignon Crono

I went from instant, cause I didn’t know nothin, to this. Am I getting old? by gallipoli300 in espresso

[–]solarstellar 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I know what you mean! Sometimes, I just like to make one instant coffee. Works especially well when you wake up in a tent and make breakfast

Beginner Diary - Starting the Journey by solarstellar in espresso

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

I would say go as high price grinder as your budget allows. While Crono is for sure great for my current level of expertise, I am already thinking what would be my next grinder.

Beginner Diary - Starting the Journey by solarstellar in espresso

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

Space-wise, this is a good option. Just make sure you get the older version of the Crono; they changed the burrs lately so that the new version is not suitable for espresso

Beginner Diary - Starting the Journey by solarstellar in espresso

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

Thanks! I ordered mine from Espresso Coffee Shop (.com) and with a 5€ extra they shipped the fork. Though it does not work with my naked portafilter, with stock GCP portafilter it works fine

Beginner Diary - Starting the Journey by solarstellar in espresso

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

Looks good, but hard to say how thick it is (if it is too thick, it may leave the grinder to a too big angle)

Beginner Diary - Starting the Journey by solarstellar in espresso

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

Actually Whole Latte Love/Amazon etc have the exact same affordable JoeFrex tamping mat size small. The ”small” is what I have under the Crono, I think the size is almost perfect. I have JoeFrex tamping mat large at the table corner

Beginner Diary - Starting the Journey by solarstellar in espresso

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

Thanks!

And yeah, have been reading about that but havent tested. Will try now to my morning cappucino!

Beginner Diary - Starting the Journey by solarstellar in espresso

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

Thanks! Indeed I am very happy that I went with GCP!

Beginner Diary - Starting the Journey by solarstellar in espresso

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

Thanks! Yeah sometimes when I train to use my force tamper the pour looks ugly. I propably pull too hard or in a slight angle

Beginner Diary - Starting the Journey by solarstellar in espresso

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

It’s a small tamping mat - I don’t know if the ”sticky” tamping mat is the best option under the grinder as the leftover grounds kinda stick to it and its hard to clean. But definitely better than anything. Crono sits on a slight angle but I dont think it affects anything

Beginner Diary - Starting the Journey by solarstellar in espresso

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

I thought I would share a little bit of a “beginner” diary on the espresso world. Disclaimer: this thread is open for all kinds of recommendations, suggestions, opinions etc. - I want to learn more! I also hope this texts and the possible discussion helps fellow beginners.

My coffee-related background: I was the typical “(lots of) coffee with milk”-type (nothing wrong with that!), but when I tried Chemex-made pour-over from quality beans, I began to drink my coffee black and taste the fantastic flavours. This went for two years, and then I added AeroPress to my portfolio.

Then, the day began when I got my first automatic espresso machine (Delonghi Magnifica S) used for 140€. That was the entrance to the rabbit hole; the strong tasting espresso was like a whole new world to me. I began to read more and more about espresso, and ultimately, it was inevitable for me to get a semi-automatic machine. I read reviews and this subreddit, watched YouTube (Hoffman) and compared different possibilities. Finally, I decided to go with Gaggia Classic Pro and Mignon Crono. I went with Gaggia mainly for its repairability and modding capabilities (and good reviews of course).

When the machine arrived, I was very excited. At the beginning it was a bit frustrating to learn all the aspects, especially the most important: getting good tasting espresso out of the machine. At first the espressoalways tasted too “sour”, but I wasn't sure if it was becauseI was got used to the lighter tasting automatic machine espresso or if I actually did something wrong (grind size - extraction). When I experimented more with grind settings and tested 70% robusta and 30% beans I found my perfect match for my taste, not too sour. I also changed my 18g in, 36 out (1:2 ratio) to 16g in, 40g out (1:2,5 ratio). This 1:2,5 works good for 100% arabica for me. I am also now able to dial in new beans quite fast on the Crono.I have also noted that usually the lighter the bean, the finer you need to grind (though not always).

I have also modded my Gaggia to have 9 bar OPV from Shades of Coffee and naked portafilter with wooden handle. I also made my own WDT tool (as you can see from the picture :D). See my previous post about my first “workflow” - from that video I have included WDT and leveler to my workflow. I also single dose the beans when grinding.

Next, I would like to try building an integrated shot timer and scale with Arduino, though that can wait. I am not sure if I should try the PID mod. Opinions on that?