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Coffee - do you and how do you consume it?
- Thread starter spacevector
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Okay! It supposed to go like this, per oldman Dietrich's son Martin:
You make what you wish out of their definition of "acidy" and "acidity".
I did...
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I have never had an espresso machine so can't comment on them. I have had several K cup pod machines and in every case the distilled and RO (reverse osmosis) water I tried resulted in a bitter tasting cup of coffee. I just tried some different RO water this week with the same results again.There is rather a lot wrong with that page, but with espresso as well as problems from hard water, extremely soft water is corrosive in machines, and you need some alkalinity. RPavlis water is a simple espresso water recipe. There are many more, you can start down the rabbit hole at the following link.
DIY Water Recipes Redux
Create your own water for coffee brewing using deionised water and our recipe. We’ve also added in a calculator that allows you to work out what will happen if you add minerals to existing water.www.baristahustle.com
The local water here just plain sucks and I do not drink it at all for coffee or even iced tea which just leaves me with bottled alternatives.
RO doesn't really have enough mineral content to properly extract coffee, so you'll want to doctor it. "Holy Water" is a good place to start for filter. https://espressoaf.com/guides/water.html
Count Arthur
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As I understand it, and if anyone knows better, fee free to correct me, water with a very low mineral content, like distilled or RO water increases extraction, so it may over extract coffee and cause bitterness.
In addition distilled water is more corrosive and may cause problems for the machine, or even leach elements from metals etc..
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I actually tried half RO and half spring water that I normally use and still found it lackluster.
Other way around, really - some amount of dissolved solids helps extract.
Be careful what you ask for!
On your behalf, I just did a simple search for 3 words: "Bottled Water Hoaxes"; even reading just the titles of the results, may make you reconsider.
I use a 3-stage filter (no RO) of the house tap H2O. Minimizing our plastic waste; while giving the monosyllabic salute to the CRV laws that haven't worked, as intended!
But I will take your word for the sucky tap water, and won't try an A/B taste test against my 3-stage H2O filter.
There are cost effective ways of fixing tap water, if you know your precise situation, and are prepared to put the time in to understand how. There isn't a one size fits all solution as tap water is very variable, so you need to tailor your solution to your situation.
For brewed coffee I mix water from my zero water jug, with my very hard tap water, there is little point me buying minerals to add when they come prediluted from the tap. I do this with measurements, a spreadsheet, and wherever my taste buds prefer.
My espresso setup has served me well for 4 (ish) years. Rocket Mozzafiato Type V with Eureka Mignon Specialita using an 18g VST basket. Also, a Hario v60 for pour-over with a beast of a hand grinder from Orphan Espresso. Solid stuff. Wouldn't mind getting my hands on a Monolith grinder from Kafetek one of these days.
The espresso process can be a bit much, but I try and keep it simple. No flow/pressure profiling, spritzing beans pre-grind or twiddling the coffee bed. The steam knob desperately needs adjustment, that R really grinds my gears now that I'm looking at it in this pic...
The espresso process can be a bit much, but I try and keep it simple. No flow/pressure profiling, spritzing beans pre-grind or twiddling the coffee bed. The steam knob desperately needs adjustment, that R really grinds my gears now that I'm looking at it in this pic...
Count Arthur
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Doing some pretty in-depth maintenance tonight - I took my machine's 3-way solenoid group valve apart - I think the flow restrictor in it was scaled up pretty good, so the water debit (no-restriction water outflow from the group) was abnormally low. Which it certainly was, at about 5.3ml/s (usually 6.5-8.5ml/s is typical for pump machines).
Update: And wouldn't you know it - cleaning the bloody thing bumped it to 6.7!
Update: And wouldn't you know it - cleaning the bloody thing bumped it to 6.7!
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This is exactly the kind of thing I think is fishy in my machine.
Haven’t had a chance to play with the pump or pressure adjustment yet.
One of the things I had started doing that seems to help a little is running a backflush before I start pulling shots. My first shot is still a little squirrely but it is closer to the following shots in yield… maybe a 2g difference instead of 3-4g.
Considering I didn’t do a descale for 4 years…
This is why I asked about the solenoid a little bit ago.
At this point it’s looking like early next week is my window for replacing the pump.
Good news is that will give me an indication of any mineral buildup. *fingers crossed
That sounds more like there might be a bit of air leaking in from somewhere and doing that backflush is purging the air? I'm in a discord with people who know a lot more about this than me, I can PM you the link if you like.
Anyway, yeah - the solenoid on Silvias is behind the front panel. Two 3mm hex bolts hold it on. The coil is attached with a nut and washer.
Ya… I researched it a bit a week or so back.
Would be interested in hearing your method for testing flow output…
Just running for 10 sec and weighing/measuring the output?
Run for 30 seconds onto a scale that measures in 0.1g increments, divide by 30. My machine is now sitting at 200ml in 30 seconds up from 160.Ya… I researched it a bit a week or so back.
Would be interested in hearing your method for testing flow output…
Just running for 10 sec and weighing/measuring the output?
I think it's hard to beat a Comandante C40 grinder, and a Hario Switch (with Sibarist papers if you're feeling fancy). Comandante is sturdy and reliable, plus so many places will give you recipes for it. The Switch is super versatile - you can use it for pour over, immersion, or a mix of both.How do you drink coffee when you are on the go (on vacation etc.), show us your portable kit
That is a terrible question to ask @delta76How do you drink coffee when you are on the go (on vacation etc.), show us your portable kit
I actually had to think but it is impossible to make mine a portable kit.
Should I consider boarding them while we are on vacation?
EDIT: Looking at the above photo, I just realized that my grinder is much bigger than my LaPavoni... hmmm!
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When I'm away from home, I'll locate a decent cafe. Any place worth going has one.How do you drink coffee when you are on the go (on vacation etc.), show us your portable kit