Coffee Drinkers? (or other hot beverages)

[grawk]

the brush if I start noticing retention.  Not very often.

 

[HemiSam]

On the Niche for espresso machine shots I'm between 9 and 11 depending on the bean and the age of the coffee.

I don't clean my Niche that often.  When I do, I simply disassemble to get the burr related parts out and use the provided brush.

HS

[EdipisReks1]

I clean grinders the same as Dan. 
 

The Hoffman giveaway item I received was the refractometer! It’s not the best one in the world, but I’m sure it’ll be fun. 

[grawk]

One thing to know about the niche:  the numbers are only really useful as an internal reference, because they're entirely dependent on how you calibrated it.  

[EdipisReks1]

And the corollary being that we can all calibrate the same way. I go slightly to the right of the indicator, myself. 

[HemiSam]

One thing I started doing after the espresso machine acquisition is placing a couple of small pieces of masking tape between the rotating rings/parts so I could see if they were drifting (require recalibration) given I use the Niche for pour over in the morning and for espresso after lunch.  YMMV...

HS

[Augsburger]

Ok, now that I reduced the grind to 12, the puck crumbles upon whacking the knock box. (Behave here Steve) Prior to changing the grind the puck would pop out as a solid piece.  Is that bad or nothing?

[grawk]

if you have a bottomless portafilter, does the stream consolidate into a single stream or is it a shower or multiple streams?

It's probably crumbling because you're getting better extraction.   Watch the pour, and stop it a little after you get blonding, and you should have a good shot.  Experiment with that and find out where your sweet spot is for flavor.

[HemiSam]

One of my smarter purchases in support of the espresso maker is a small mirror that is magnetic and rotates.  I place it on the espresso maker next to my scale so I have a clear view of the portafileter screen so I can see the stream coming together, etc...  Money well spent IMHO.  I found it on Etsy and I'm happy to provide a link if anyone is looking for one.

HS

[Augsburger]

1 hour ago, grawk said:

if you have a bottomless portafilter, does the stream consolidate into a single stream or is it a shower or multiple streams?

All of the above. I need to try a few more pulls and watch closer with my mirror to assess my progress.

[velomane]

2 hours ago, HemiSam said:

  I found it on Etsy and I'm happy to provide a link if anyone is looking for one.

HS

Yes please. I tired of crouching to watch the pour.

[HemiSam]

6 minutes ago, velomane said:

Yes please. I tired of crouching to watch the pour.

This is the one I purchased, but it appears they are out of stock.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1103111404/shot-nanny-elegant-bottomless?show_sold_out_detail=1&ref=nla_listing_details

I saw this one in the feed that looks like it could be the same.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1205499848/espresso-shot-coffee-mirror-50mm-2?click_key=3ea59f7c4e3dca25744ec94a5a9c03a6578bc067%3A1205499848&click_sum=eff1b793&ref=sold_out-6

HS

[EdipisReks1]

I have a Normcore mirror and a Weber looking glass. The Weber is nice, but not worth the money over the Normcore. The Normcore has a magnetic base. I keep it on the edge of the drip tray. 

[mikeymad]

How often are y'all struggling with channeling? I have not invested in a new portafilter yet, so I can only judge by flow rate change, taste and puck inspection. 

[EdipisReks1]

Not too terribly often; are you WDTing? I WDT or use a blind shaker; they both do a great job of distribution, which is the number one element for reducing channeling. 

Edited December 12, 2022 by EdipisReks1

[mikeymad]

Nope - using the Oracle grinder built in setup with it's spiral press. It does a really good job most of the time. I have found that if I have an issue it is the grind setting (well it is the only setting that I have). I was just curious with most people using an open portafilter, if there were issues that people were trying to resolve. 

Q - with the duel boiler - do you have a preference for your pre-infusion pressure? I have been using 65 (I assume %). I think that the duel is the same setup. 

[EdipisReks1]

The Oracle and the Dual Boiler have the same basic mechanism, so yeah, it works the same way. I don’t think my having the OPV set much lower than factory affects the preinfusion, but my having a different solenoid very well may: I’m running at 80, which on my machine gives me a solid 1/2 bar preinfusion. My understanding is that it’s percentage of pump pressure, yeah. 

Edited December 12, 2022 by EdipisReks1

[HemiSam]

I don't have channeling issues very often.  I do have to play with the grind setting as I purchase new coffee, or adjust a smidge as the beans age but these are very minor tweaks to grind setting (well less than one tick on the Niche).

I pre-infuse with the Lelit Bianca at 2 bar for roughly four seconds and then swing the paddle for higher pressure until the gauge hits 9 bar.  Seems to work pretty well.

One thing I have concluded is I can torture myself with a less roasted bean trying to hit the sweet spot for espresso or I can purchase a bean clearly roasted for espresso (plenty dark) and make my life much easier hitting my marks.  Much darker notes on the heavily roasted beans so it's a taste thing.

HS

[Grahame]

Meanwhile ...

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/seattle-startups-bring-robots-to-coffee-pizza-prep/

 

 

[HemiSam]

1 hour ago, Grahame said:

Meanwhile ...

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/seattle-startups-bring-robots-to-coffee-pizza-prep/

 

 

After watching the latte art, I hate this guy already...LOL.

HS

[EdipisReks1]

Latte art is sure hard if you aren’t making 100 lattes a day and/or are not a robot. 

[mikeymad]

After two pounds of coffee, I am starting to get the hang of the Oracle. The new portafilter helps with being about to see the flow and distribution. 

I am on my third new coffee now. And I am able to get it dialed in with about three shots. I seem to work best starting with too much flow {a bit sour} and then work towards making it stronger and more extracted. My palate can detect that easier than starting on the bitter side.

I wanted a bit more coffee in my latte, So I have increased my dose up to 22 in and 45 out, right at 35 second. I will probably decrease my milk volume a bit to give me a little more coffee ratio. 

Still a few things I may change, the burr set is a little worn {rough cutting edge}, and they are relatively cheap to replace. It was a used machine. But overall I am becoming more happy with it as I use it more. Surprise, good coffee makes me happy.

cheers

[EdipisReks1]

Nice! It feels really good when you get things dialed in. Plus, as you say: good coffee makes you happy. 

[EdipisReks1]

If anybody wants one of Twitter’s Lineas, here is your chance: https://www.gearpatrol.com/home/a42283958/twitter-furniture-auction/

[Aura]

Unfortunate situation for a local roaster (to me) turns into a rather good deal if you are interested. I grabbed a case.

https://www.modest.coffee/2022/12/how-we-got-grifted/