What was the most useful espresso tip for your routine? 01:12 #1 use well-rested coffee beans 01:41 #2 always work on your puck prep routine 02:10 #3 be gentle in your routine 02:28 #4 use precision baskets and shower screens 02:41 #5 preinfusion is always a good idea 03:05 #6 pull a longer espresso shot 03:24 #7 use higher water temperature 03:51 #8 backflush groupheads every 40 minutes 04:14 #9 clean the portafilter every 30 minutes 04:41 #10 use silicone gaskets 05:01 #11 clean the shower screen every day 05:26 #12 change the shower screen & portafilter basket 05:53 #13 backflush the group heads with cleaning powder 06:10 #14 don't leave barista equipment in the cleaning bath over night 06:29 #15 season new espresso grinder burrs 07:01 #16 clean your grinder every day (properly!)
Hi, thanks for the tips ! When you say changing the screen and the basket every 6 months, how does it translate into # of coffee shots ? In other words, in these 6 months, do you assume 1/day, 2/day, 5-10-100/day ? Same goes for other tips (but not a question for me, since I clean and shower after each use)
Alan has a gift for presenting these educational type videos. The information os presented in such an easily digestible way and without and with a reassuring relaxed professionalism, which contrasts with the extreme neuroticism you see on a lot of coffee TH-cam. Thanks for the great vid as usual!
It's fair to say that this guy knows a bunch about anything related to coffee. From dialing coffee to basics on how to maintain your equipment for better coffee and long-lasting it. I appreciate your knowledge and useful tips. You got me with: dialing three different coffee challenge.
Thanks ☕️🙏 Alan has a wide range of experience he gathered over 10 years as a barista (and now roaster & cafe owner). We are glad we have him in the team 💪
Exactly! Only that at least 15% of that remaining 20% are chemical engineering ;-) He didn't mention what a pain in the a.. it is to dial in a new bean. That even when you dialed everything in perfectly, you still have to adjust these values every once in a while because of the temperature, the changes in quality of the beans, the grinder and so on. Don't get me wrong: I LOVE making coffee, but that's kind of a Jedi thing: do (right) or do not. In terms of coffee making there's much more that can be done wrong than right. That's why it's so difficult to find a store which serves a good product and why a lot of people think that Starbucks has good coffee.
@@MassimoCerreto yup, most coffee tastes decent enough with some milk and sugar, but to dial in a cup that doesn't need the milk is a painfully slow process, pull, taste, clean, adjust, pull, taste etc. and you can only adjust one thing at a time otherwise you don't now what went right or wrong
Seriously im only making coffee for me in my house and i spend most of it cleaning the machine and grounds up while its pulling then the the steam wand after 😂
Thanks Ian! I recently opened an espresso bar in Brno (in the video) STAV SE Espresso Bar (meaning 'COME BY'). Looking forward to serve you coffee one day if you're around 👋
What an excellent video! I'm no pro but I enjoy my espresso at home and always try for the best I can get - the kind of info in this video is exactly what I want to know! Thanks!
All of this is good for a coffee shop, for home machine where I make three for four coffees a day, I'l clean the machine with powder and the grinder once a week and the gaskets and screens once a month.
Very informative video! Now I understand why my coffee tastes bad by doing only 2 of these 16 tips in a cheap espresso machine...😅 So much work is needed behind the scenes for brewing one tasty cup of coffee. That's why I leave it to the professionals!
For beans shelf life, 3 weeks after roasted is the limit that I set, the extraction time starts to go faster day after day. The best period is minimum 1 week after and maximum 3 weeks after roasted. I roast my own beans, i can control the aging of my beans.
Please please!!!! Could you please make a video about flow profiling with the very same Dalla Corte machine? Same format but centered in that aspect..!? And also about the dalla corte single shot basket, for its kind de difficult? Thank you so much anyway, great video!!
In terms of my cleaning habits, I do the same things regardless the volume of shots. If it's 1 coffee an hour or 80. On my Gaggia at home, I used to ckean it once a day like I was closing the cafe. As you can see, I'm obsessed with clean gear :))
hello Alan Congrats for the video , is amazing. I have Slayer Steam LP machine and for me the pre infusion is something new so my question is how can I use the pre infusion in the right way for my coffees ? I use 2 different Blend , one is a medium Roasted beans 85 arabica 15 Robusta and the other is 100 % Arabica blend medium roasted too and the water temperature to the machine is 91.5 degrees you think is ok ?. Can you suggest me some book or video about the pre infusion ? Thanks Alan 🙏
We made a video about Flair (slightly different format but should be helpful). The pre-heating and quality grinder were the 2 most important things if I remember correctly: th-cam.com/video/vlNt-33w1G8/w-d-xo.html
If i just started, is it possible to use single grouphead machine, like lelit bianca for small commercial use? Back to back reliability? Thanks for all the tips
Number 2, always work on your puck prep routine. That means, WDT+tap+tamp with an oversized tamper. I felt like I needed to add that little correction. 😉
at home, absolutely. but for rush hour coffee shop barista, wdt and puck screens slow the process significantly. it only adds like 20-30secs to the overall process, but that's a lot when you're making hundreds of cups a day
Wrong. Not all grinders require WDT. I would also avoid tap after WDT - if you do not do it gentle then it makes things worse. And oversized tamper helps keep the tamper straight (and for aesthetic reason - some people panick seeing coffe on basket sides) but has no impact on extraction.
Item #12: You recommend changing portafilter basket every four to six months. I assume this is for a commercial cafe. What would be the recommendation for a home "barista" making 10-20 shots per week? Thanks in advance! Great video!
Do you count pre-infusion as part of the extraction time or that should on top? so I wanna target an extraction time of 30sec (random example) with 10 sec pre-infusion, should my total time be 30 or 40 sec?
Hi Arman. If you mean a video editing sw, that's a question for Radek. But if you mean the machine app, that is a Dalla Corte Mina app that connects to the machine via BT. The app is designed by Dalla Corte specifically for this machine. You can adjust flow rate, temperatures and other things. Normally, you would enter such menus through the PID on your machine
There is not a general app for coffee machines, it’s always based on the manufacturer. Our partners at Victoria Arduino have also a mobile app available!
In my experience, preinfusing dark roast (2nd crack and robusta blends rested for 2 weeks) would make it bitter and harsh (overextracted) (10 sec preinfusion + 25sec brewtime in 9bar), so I tend to do straight 9bars on my dark roast Does anyone has a similar experience / different opinion?
Yes. I prefer dark roasts and do not use preinfusion. Except when I make milk coffees for guests - then I sometimes use preinfusion to make it better balanced with milk (I use random milks and some of them are too sweet).
Thanks so much for your video. I have a problem so, my portafilter does not sit 6 o clock position when I attach to the group. I bought the machine 3 weeks ago and portafilter sits 7-7.5 o clock position although I forced it. Please help me. Thanks.
Not all specialty coffee is super light roasted. The majority of good coffee you might use for espresso is medium-medium/dark roast and should only rest for about 4 - 10 days
I find that for our medium, 3 weeks is the bare minimum, and will do 4 weeks if possible, and have gone up to 10 weeks with minimal flavor loss (constistency was so good that, on average, it might even be better). Not only the flavor is much more rounded, and the extraction smoother, but also, your grind size shifts way less while using each bag, because there is less C02 released in the hopper in between you dialing in and finishing the bag. At least that's my experience.
With medium or dark fresh roasted coffee I can taste the coffees getting worse/less flavorful at 3 weeks so there is no way I am following this wait 6 weeks to drink/degass.I also drink freshly roasted coffee literally right after roasting so…
I appreciate this vid. But it is geared to a "shop." Have you done any vids for the home barista? Also I am on my 2nd Gaggia Classic Pro machine (not expensive, no water temp control etc.) And have been trying to get a decent pull with a bottomless portafilter. I have studied hours of vids; I have a lot of the paraphernalia like leveler, wire clump thingy to get rid of clumps, I have played with the so-called "hacks" for the Gaggia like letting of some pressure to slow down the pull ad infinitum. BUT--I have a cheap grinder and I cannot afford to pay hundreds of dollars for a good one. And finding beans at a store that are younger than 6 weeks from roasting??? Non existent. Is there any hope for me. When I get "crema" it disappears rather quickly. Is that even crema?
No. I've used cheap grinder - retention (first grind every day went to trash) and need to use a scale each time to keep consistency are painful but can be managed. But with old and low quality coffee you can't do anything. Order via Internet, roast yourself or sell GC and buy vietnamese Cafe Phin filter (this is what use when I'm visiting my father and have to dring "cheap coffee").
Hi ECT. Sometimes i have a problem when extracting. There is no water coming out of the poratfilter thru the eapresso. What could i do to avoid that? I understand u need to grind a bit coarser, is it really the only reason?
@@praveshtengmali3564 Could you be kore specific? :) Calubration in what sense? Volumetrics or something entirely different? I would defibitely recommend you to contact your VA local service too, they'll be happy to help you
Normally, it is the whole coffee beans that are pre-wet with a spray of water to reduce static but that is in a domestic environment when single dosing.
Espresso is not a "sweet" drink. No matter the technique. It can get too bitter or too sour if you make mistakes but it will never be sweet no matter what you do. I've tasted hundreds of professional baristas' and my own espresso shots and I've never tasted even one that came out sweet. And that's for the better. We have too many sweet drinks already
All these suggestions but then he makes those terrible looking espressos? so watery and no crema at all except a bit of crema along the edges of the cup? Am I missing something?
Looks it is simply more peaceful to purchase a shot of expresso from Starbucks rather than getting delirious through that checklist and regret buying expresso machine
Mine has a puddle on top the puck, slow extraction and very little crema, I've an Italian machine identical to the 'Delonghi Dedica' (literally) just different brand name perhaps even slightly better judging by the wand being better. It's brand new and I've only used it a couple of times and both times it was so far off I've no clue where to start as I have a new electric burr grinder aswell, I've got it set to the most fine setting as they usually don't grind very fine so I understand. I'm not sure if it's too fine too course, too much coffee or under powered(pressure) machine in the group head? I'm using an after market bottomless porta filter with a 4shot (deep) 51mm basket, rather than the pressurised basket that it came with. I tried the pressurised double shot basket but wasn't much better and fake crema so no idea whether that made a difference. Taste was weak and very bitter/not nice (Using Dark Roast whole beans ground right before extraction).. Any ideas? Cheers from London 👍🏴🇬🇧
@@laowai2000Hi ya, I'll be honest I gave up just after this and haven't used it since, am thinking of giving it another go last couple of days so coincidentally you messaged same time I'm considering it.. Been using a Stove top mocha pot or even instant when that's too much hassle! lol 😂🙄🤦🏻 I DEFINITELY need to give it another go in next day or two and try and get it dialled in this time (if it's doable anyway) I might have to just use it with the standard set up pressurised filter it came with as even that was better than the disaster of the bottomless filter I tried last time.. Did you get yours dialled in ok then? Any tips on what I could try different or what might be doing wrong?
If you were getting bitter shots that is normally from the shot pouring too slowly because of the grind being too fine, or too many grams in the basket. Need to make your coffee grinds coarser (or use less coffee) so that the water is not so restricted. Espresso should pour between 25-35 seconds, with the best results usually found between 27-33 seconds. Variables there to play with a) grams in and out b) grind size c) time of shot. Important to have some scales so you are able to fine tune volumes. For Dedica I normally use around 15 grams. A good rule like 15 grams in 30 grams out. It's a matter of sticking to it and not giving up with the open basket. On a machine similar to Dedica probably best to keep the grams in 17 or less. Also to make things simpler, can focus more on the ratios like targeting 15 grams in 30 grams out in say 30 seconds. Adjust the grams in up and down accordingly to hit target. In this way you are just playing with one variable. In time it becomes 2nd nature and you get a real feel for it. Finally, beans need to be fresh (circa 2 weeks, up to a month) otherwise any practice will be in vain. Older beans are going to give you a caffeine shot but forget about getting that nice crema.
@@laowai2000 Thanks, that's kind of what I thought, I have about 3 different sets of scales lol 😂 Although from memory I was doing it by eye, as it was a 4shot deeper 51ml basket, just keeping it below the fill line and not tamping too hard but tbh my tamp doesn't fit the basket it's too tight, so to go lower I wont be able to tamp correctly, (not sure if its the basket slightly under-size width wise or the tamp slightly to big diameter!?) anyhow that's (from memory) why I wasn't weighing the grams in last time as would be too low in the basket to tamp? (Maybe I should try just doing a couple of single or double shots until it's correct and then extrapolate that up? Or just pour singles or doubles until the desired amount is poured? I will definitely try what you suggested and play with grind size. Also definitely weigh it this time round and maybe use a different basket if this one isn't useable. I'll try the tamp that came with it rather than the after market one to see if that fits better? Might need to buy a better basket!? (I had to grind the thickness off the tabs with a dremmel to get the tabs to fit in the Head as they were made too thick initially out the box). I think I just had too many things that weren't right out the box and that's why I ended up winging it lol 😂
@@AB-C1 Keep at it! Also find a puck screen keeps things tidy. Important to get that tamp working correctly. Have faced the same issue before and had to swap equipment in and out to get it right. The journey is worthwhile!
Good video but I think everyone remove the shower screen every single day and also sterilize the portafilter every 10min. But that is a great idea to use the "super agressive" cleaning powder cemicals on the machine mid shift😉 Thanks for that! Anyway...These are Pretty basick advices... Extra tips for better result: Usually I change the grinder burrs every week, also the engine of it every month. (Just in case) Also I do not like to wait 1day to clean the grinder with vacum. Better do it twice a day midshift! Lazy boy!🦥 With these method I had a fairly good espresso but I was not happy with the quality of the £2000 water filter that I had back in england so I left my family and I have moved to Switzerland to get softer water straight away from the glaciers. I am still not 100% happy with my espresso shots so please do not hesitate to share with me your advices my dear coffeelover friends🤎
What was the most useful espresso tip for your routine?
01:12 #1 use well-rested coffee beans
01:41 #2 always work on your puck prep routine
02:10 #3 be gentle in your routine
02:28 #4 use precision baskets and shower screens
02:41 #5 preinfusion is always a good idea
03:05 #6 pull a longer espresso shot
03:24 #7 use higher water temperature
03:51 #8 backflush groupheads every 40 minutes
04:14 #9 clean the portafilter every 30 minutes
04:41 #10 use silicone gaskets
05:01 #11 clean the shower screen every day
05:26 #12 change the shower screen & portafilter basket
05:53 #13 backflush the group heads with cleaning powder
06:10 #14 don't leave barista equipment in the cleaning bath over night
06:29 #15 season new espresso grinder burrs
07:01 #16 clean your grinder every day (properly!)
Hi, thanks for the tips ! When you say changing the screen and the basket every 6 months, how does it translate into # of coffee shots ? In other words, in these 6 months, do you assume 1/day, 2/day, 5-10-100/day ? Same goes for other tips (but not a question for me, since I clean and shower after each use)
😊
Alan has a gift for presenting these educational type videos. The information os presented in such an easily digestible way and without and with a reassuring relaxed professionalism, which contrasts with the extreme neuroticism you see on a lot of coffee TH-cam. Thanks for the great vid as usual!
Thank you for such a lovely feedback, Drew! I appreciate it. Looking forward to serve you coffee one day
Well said
It's fair to say that this guy knows a bunch about anything related to coffee. From dialing coffee to basics on how to maintain your equipment for better coffee and long-lasting it. I appreciate your knowledge and useful tips. You got me with: dialing three different coffee challenge.
Thanks ☕️🙏 Alan has a wide range of experience he gathered over 10 years as a barista (and now roaster & cafe owner). We are glad we have him in the team 💪
Это парень😅 я думал девушка.. наверное гей..
today i learned: being a barista is 80% cleaning, 20% coffee-making
Yes👋🙏
You can watch our video (also with Alan) where we go deep into a day of barista (number are about right): th-cam.com/video/-uCfiSg9XC8/w-d-xo.html
Exactly! Only that at least 15% of that remaining 20% are chemical engineering ;-) He didn't mention what a pain in the a.. it is to dial in a new bean. That even when you dialed everything in perfectly, you still have to adjust these values every once in a while because of the temperature, the changes in quality of the beans, the grinder and so on.
Don't get me wrong: I LOVE making coffee, but that's kind of a Jedi thing: do (right) or do not. In terms of coffee making there's much more that can be done wrong than right. That's why it's so difficult to find a store which serves a good product and why a lot of people think that Starbucks has good coffee.
@@MassimoCerreto yup, most coffee tastes decent enough with some milk and sugar, but to dial in a cup that doesn't need the milk is a painfully slow process, pull, taste, clean, adjust, pull, taste etc. and you can only adjust one thing at a time otherwise you don't now what went right or wrong
Seriously im only making coffee for me in my house and i spend most of it cleaning the machine and grounds up while its pulling then the the steam wand after 😂
where can i find this guy to order an espresso?
with this level of detail it has to be great.
thanks for the video!
Thanks Ian! I recently opened an espresso bar in Brno (in the video) STAV SE Espresso Bar (meaning 'COME BY'). Looking forward to serve you coffee one day if you're around 👋
A superb video with very pertinent reminders to be compulsive about equipment cleanliness. Thank you for sharing your professional advice.
Alan you are too kind to baristas. I would push their limits more to cleaning grinder deeply everyday 🙌🤗🙏
I agree 😊
Very informative and even I'm not a pro barista, so many of these tips can easily translate to home baristas!
What an excellent video! I'm no pro but I enjoy my espresso at home and always try for the best I can get - the kind of info in this video is exactly what I want to know! Thanks!
Thanks for sharing, happy to hear it was useful! What other topic could be interesting for you?
My espresso improved dramatically after watching this video. Liked and subscribed. Thank you
All of this is good for a coffee shop, for home machine where I make three for four coffees a day, I'l clean the machine with powder and the grinder once a week and the gaskets and screens once a month.
👌👌
Very informative video! Now I understand why my coffee tastes bad by doing only 2 of these 16 tips in a cheap espresso machine...😅 So much work is needed behind the scenes for brewing one tasty cup of coffee. That's why I leave it to the professionals!
For beans shelf life, 3 weeks after roasted is the limit that I set, the extraction time starts to go faster day after day. The best period is minimum 1 week after and maximum 3 weeks after roasted. I roast my own beans, i can control the aging of my beans.
It sounds like your prefered roast style might be in the medium-dark area. What's your roast style? ;)
This video has such good information! Alan explains everything so clearly! I will apply these tips at my home!
Coffee fantasies are satisfied by this video!
Nice.. I'm coffee farmer from Bali Indonesia. I never used mehcin coffee everything
Great video! (I am finally getting good Espresso shots) The issue with me was I was rushing on the preparation
Cheers!
This is the information I was looking for. Thank you!
Please please!!!! Could you please make a video about flow profiling with the very same Dalla Corte machine? Same format but centered in that aspect..!?
And also about the dalla corte single shot basket, for its kind de difficult?
Thank you so much anyway, great video!!
Really handy video. How many shots on average would you pull a day in a shop? Just so I can extrapolate the recommended times for home cleaning.
In terms of my cleaning habits, I do the same things regardless the volume of shots. If it's 1 coffee an hour or 80. On my Gaggia at home, I used to ckean it once a day like I was closing the cafe. As you can see, I'm obsessed with clean gear :))
hello Alan
Congrats for the video , is amazing. I have Slayer Steam LP machine and for me the pre infusion is something new so my question is how can I use the pre infusion in the right way for my coffees ? I use 2 different Blend , one is a medium Roasted beans 85 arabica 15 Robusta and the other is 100 % Arabica blend medium roasted too and the water temperature to the machine is 91.5 degrees you think is ok ?. Can you suggest me some book or video about the pre infusion ? Thanks Alan 🙏
Thank you so much for these great videos guys.
Excellent. Thank you for the information.
Can you please do the same kind of a video with Flair? ❤️ Especially with specialty coffee, it’s so hard.
We made a video about Flair (slightly different format but should be helpful). The pre-heating and quality grinder were the 2 most important things if I remember correctly: th-cam.com/video/vlNt-33w1G8/w-d-xo.html
you're amazing. Best I've seen on TH-cam. Thanks.
Thankyou for good tipes
Good point thank you 😊🙏🏼
What is the name of that coffee machine ?
Thanks for content ! 🎩
Very informative and clear video 👏🏼 fast but perfect 👍 Thanks a lot
This video is 2 years old, but still valuable info.
excellent, Alan.
A lot of great tips, thanks!
If i just started, is it possible to use single grouphead machine, like lelit bianca for small commercial use? Back to back reliability? Thanks for all the tips
Number 2, always work on your puck prep routine. That means, WDT+tap+tamp with an oversized tamper.
I felt like I needed to add that little correction. 😉
Yes mate and cheers!
Add one more - Puck Screen
at home, absolutely. but for rush hour coffee shop barista, wdt and puck screens slow the process significantly. it only adds like 20-30secs to the overall process, but that's a lot when you're making hundreds of cups a day
Wrong. Not all grinders require WDT. I would also avoid tap after WDT - if you do not do it gentle then it makes things worse. And oversized tamper helps keep the tamper straight (and for aesthetic reason - some people panick seeing coffe on basket sides) but has no impact on extraction.
Item #12: You recommend changing portafilter basket every four to six months. I assume this is for a commercial cafe. What would be the recommendation for a home "barista" making 10-20 shots per week? Thanks in advance! Great video!
I think that might last for 2 years, as the change after 4 months would be recommended for a cafe with 500+ shots a day
@@alanjarrar Based on your estimated shots/day, I'd end up at every 8 yrs so I'll modify the recommendation to "change at your discretion."
Basically clean everything and use good coffee.
Do you have any suggestion for pre-infusion setting on a Victoria Arduino Eagle One machine?
I like the look of your porcelain cups by the way!
Looking forward to this video…
Do you count pre-infusion as part of the extraction time or that should on top? so I wanna target an extraction time of 30sec (random example) with 10 sec pre-infusion, should my total time be 30 or 40 sec?
Preinfusion is included in extraction times :)
thx for this video. could you say, what software did you use in video?
Hi Arman. If you mean a video editing sw, that's a question for Radek. But if you mean the machine app, that is a Dalla Corte Mina app that connects to the machine via BT. The app is designed by Dalla Corte specifically for this machine. You can adjust flow rate, temperatures and other things. Normally, you would enter such menus through the PID on your machine
@@alanjarrar thank you, Alan. Yea, I mean machine app. Could you advise other app, which helps adjust coffeemachine
There is not a general app for coffee machines, it’s always based on the manufacturer. Our partners at Victoria Arduino have also a mobile app available!
Different question. Where do I get these mugs. ;)
Can I use a bottomless basket instead of a precision basket?
In my experience, preinfusing dark roast (2nd crack and robusta blends rested for 2 weeks) would make it bitter and harsh (overextracted) (10 sec preinfusion + 25sec brewtime in 9bar), so I tend to do straight 9bars on my dark roast
Does anyone has a similar experience / different opinion?
Total 35 secs, to me it is over extracted. I recommend for 30 secs. Else it will become bitter in taste.
Dark roasted robusta rested 2 weeks and you wonder why 25s in 9 bars taste bitter
Yes. I prefer dark roasts and do not use preinfusion. Except when I make milk coffees for guests - then I sometimes use preinfusion to make it better balanced with milk (I use random milks and some of them are too sweet).
Little overkilled for home users, but generally it is a good practice.😀
Thanks! This video wasn’t meant for home users so I agree with your point.
Reminds me of car maintenance..cleaning seals, metal parts, preventative care. lol
I always watch the spout condition when I order espresso from Cafe, if the spout is dirty I order v60
Thanks so much for your video. I have a problem so, my portafilter does not sit 6 o clock position when I attach to the group. I bought the machine 3 weeks ago and portafilter sits 7-7.5 o clock position although I forced it. Please help me. Thanks.
This is normal. Depends on basket thickness and gasket wear - it is good to have some room for future.
Thanks 🙏
Thanks!!!!
Hw do you keep your machine glittering
Not all specialty coffee is super light roasted. The majority of good coffee you might use for espresso is medium-medium/dark roast and should only rest for about 4 - 10 days
I find that for our medium, 3 weeks is the bare minimum, and will do 4 weeks if possible, and have gone up to 10 weeks with minimal flavor loss (constistency was so good that, on average, it might even be better). Not only the flavor is much more rounded, and the extraction smoother, but also, your grind size shifts way less while using each bag, because there is less C02 released in the hopper in between you dialing in and finishing the bag. At least that's my experience.
With medium or dark fresh roasted coffee I can taste the coffees getting worse/less flavorful at 3 weeks so there is no way I am following this wait 6 weeks to drink/degass.I also drink freshly roasted coffee literally right after roasting so…
I appreciate this vid. But it is geared to a "shop." Have you done any vids for the home barista? Also I am on my 2nd Gaggia Classic Pro machine (not expensive, no water temp control etc.) And have been trying to get a decent pull with a bottomless portafilter. I have studied hours of vids; I have a lot of the paraphernalia like leveler, wire clump thingy to get rid of clumps, I have played with the so-called "hacks" for the Gaggia like letting of some pressure to slow down the pull ad infinitum. BUT--I have a cheap grinder and I cannot afford to pay hundreds of dollars for a good one. And finding beans at a store that are younger than 6 weeks from roasting??? Non existent. Is there any hope for me. When I get "crema" it disappears rather quickly. Is that even crema?
No. I've used cheap grinder - retention (first grind every day went to trash) and need to use a scale each time to keep consistency are painful but can be managed. But with old and low quality coffee you can't do anything. Order via Internet, roast yourself or sell GC and buy vietnamese Cafe Phin filter (this is what use when I'm visiting my father and have to dring "cheap coffee").
No wonder I’ve been having trouble balancing my latest coffee buy, the beans were only roasted 2 weeks ago !!
Did waiting some time actually improve your espresso? I am having trouble at the moment too
@@HenryPiffpaff yes !! So much better and easier to balance
where do i get the espresso cups u are using?
Which machine are you using?
Hi ECT. Sometimes i have a problem when extracting. There is no water coming out of the poratfilter thru the eapresso. What could i do to avoid that? I understand u need to grind a bit coarser, is it really the only reason?
Hi, yes it does sound like that. Did grinding coarser help?
Plz help me out for calibration of Victoria Audrino VA358 white eagle machine plz plz...
Hi Pravesh! Happy to help if I can. What would you like to know?
@@alanjarrar plz help me to calibrate VA358 white eagle espresso machine.
@@praveshtengmali3564 Could you be kore specific? :) Calubration in what sense? Volumetrics or something entirely different? I would defibitely recommend you to contact your VA local service too, they'll be happy to help you
hi men it has bein a whyle i just wanna know what kind of milk are u using in our country we are trying to do thiis
what scale are you using to time and weight your shots?
6:33 I'm not sure I even go through 3kg in a year - so basically I have to wait 1-2 years to get a good espresso? 😢
Who made those cups?
Gonna leave comment here. Really want to know the answer
They were made in Turkey but we will leave it to Alan to share details of the artist/producer.
Mimesis ceramic
@@alanjarrar Hello,
When I google this name, I do not get any espresso cups. Any more info on these cups would be great !
What about prewetting the puck with a water spray?
Nice tip - might be included into the 'puck prep routine' point. Not very wor-flow friendly into a café setting though, in my opinion
Normally, it is the whole coffee beans that are pre-wet with a spray of water to reduce static but that is in a domestic environment when single dosing.
@@cheekster777 gold advice for single dosing
Good vid
Wait I’ve seen a million times by known professionals say use beans roasted between 5 and 30 days old but your saying older than 4 weeks?!?
Came here to find this comment. I'm gonna stick to new until more ppl say use older beans. So far it's like 10-1 for new vs old beans
And tamping. Body weight vs his soft and gentle.
What does round taste like?
Very balanced, smooth
@@alanjarrar Thank you, this is helpful. Learned quite a bit from the video, well done.
3 kilo of coffee to season the burrs?????
Go learn how
To make espresso in Kosovo
Espresso is not a "sweet" drink. No matter the technique. It can get too bitter or too sour if you make mistakes but it will never be sweet no matter what you do.
I've tasted hundreds of professional baristas' and my own espresso shots and I've never tasted even one that came out sweet.
And that's for the better. We have too many sweet drinks already
All these suggestions but then he makes those terrible looking espressos? so watery and no crema at all except a bit of crema along the edges of the cup? Am I missing something?
Looks it is simply more peaceful to purchase a shot of expresso from Starbucks rather than getting delirious through that checklist and regret buying expresso machine
Are you Spider-Man?
These guys never talk about the coffee itself, it's always only technique or equipment....Bastards.😂
Please mind your words, man!!
17. stop believing all that bullsh*ting stuff
Mine has a puddle on top the puck, slow extraction and very little crema, I've an Italian machine identical to the 'Delonghi Dedica' (literally) just different brand name perhaps even slightly better judging by the wand being better. It's brand new and I've only used it a couple of times and both times it was so far off I've no clue where to start as I have a new electric burr grinder aswell, I've got it set to the most fine setting as they usually don't grind very fine so I understand. I'm not sure if it's too fine too course, too much coffee or under powered(pressure) machine in the group head? I'm using an after market bottomless porta filter with a 4shot (deep) 51mm basket, rather than the pressurised basket that it came with. I tried the pressurised double shot basket but wasn't much better and fake crema so no idea whether that made a difference. Taste was weak and very bitter/not nice (Using Dark Roast whole beans ground right before extraction)..
Any ideas?
Cheers from London 👍🏴🇬🇧
How's your progress? With time amazing how you can work out what works and what doesn't.
@@laowai2000Hi ya,
I'll be honest I gave up just after this and haven't used it since, am thinking of giving it another go last couple of days so coincidentally you messaged same time I'm considering it.. Been using a Stove top mocha pot or even instant when that's too much hassle! lol 😂🙄🤦🏻
I DEFINITELY need to give it another go in next day or two and try and get it dialled in this time (if it's doable anyway) I might have to just use it with the standard set up pressurised filter it came with as even that was better than the disaster of the bottomless filter I tried last time..
Did you get yours dialled in ok then? Any tips on what I could try different or what might be doing wrong?
If you were getting bitter shots that is normally from the shot pouring too slowly because of the grind being too fine, or too many grams in the basket. Need to make your coffee grinds coarser (or use less coffee) so that the water is not so restricted. Espresso should pour between 25-35 seconds, with the best results usually found between 27-33 seconds. Variables there to play with a) grams in and out b) grind size c) time of shot. Important to have some scales so you are able to fine tune volumes. For Dedica I normally use around 15 grams. A good rule like 15 grams in 30 grams out. It's a matter of sticking to it and not giving up with the open basket. On a machine similar to Dedica probably best to keep the grams in 17 or less. Also to make things simpler, can focus more on the ratios like targeting 15 grams in 30 grams out in say 30 seconds. Adjust the grams in up and down accordingly to hit target. In this way you are just playing with one variable. In time it becomes 2nd nature and you get a real feel for it. Finally, beans need to be fresh (circa 2 weeks, up to a month) otherwise any practice will be in vain. Older beans are going to give you a caffeine shot but forget about getting that nice crema.
@@laowai2000 Thanks, that's kind of what I thought, I have about 3 different sets of scales lol 😂 Although from memory I was doing it by eye, as it was a 4shot deeper 51ml basket, just keeping it below the fill line and not tamping too hard but tbh my tamp doesn't fit the basket it's too tight, so to go lower I wont be able to tamp correctly, (not sure if its the basket slightly under-size width wise or the tamp slightly to big diameter!?) anyhow that's (from memory) why I wasn't weighing the grams in last time as would be too low in the basket to tamp? (Maybe I should try just doing a couple of single or double shots until it's correct and then extrapolate that up? Or just pour singles or doubles until the desired amount is poured?
I will definitely try what you suggested and play with grind size. Also definitely weigh it this time round and maybe use a different basket if this one isn't useable. I'll try the tamp that came with it rather than the after market one to see if that fits better? Might need to buy a better basket!? (I had to grind the thickness off the tabs with a dremmel to get the tabs to fit in the Head as they were made too thick initially out the box). I think I just had too many things that weren't right out the box and that's why I ended up winging it lol 😂
@@AB-C1 Keep at it! Also find a puck screen keeps things tidy. Important to get that tamp working correctly. Have faced the same issue before and had to swap equipment in and out to get it right. The journey is worthwhile!
Good video but I think everyone remove the shower screen every single day and also sterilize the portafilter every 10min. But that is a great idea to use the "super agressive" cleaning powder cemicals on the machine mid shift😉 Thanks for that!
Anyway...These are Pretty basick advices...
Extra tips for better result:
Usually I change the grinder burrs every week, also the engine of it every month.
(Just in case)
Also I do not like to wait 1day to clean the grinder with vacum. Better do it twice a day midshift! Lazy boy!🦥
With these method I had a fairly good espresso but I was not happy with the quality of the £2000 water filter that I had back in england so I left my family and I have moved to Switzerland to get softer water straight away from the glaciers.
I am still not 100% happy with my espresso shots so please do not hesitate to share with me your advices my dear coffeelover friends🤎