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An other thing is that you can see how the coffee is flowing out of the head to be sure the grind and tamping are correct, or some such thing. It is pretty to watch, too
But I leave it to the professionals and just drink the stuff. I could maybe see having a fancy home machine except for the counter space and because going in for coffee is what passes for a social life these days
I do like to watch the videos of them making shots - very pretty. I also appreciate the lunacy of the stuff they do like pouring them over super cooled titanium spheres and such.
Part of why we got the delonghi we did is because of counter space (we were living on the boat then). I'm sure it's not 'purist' quality, but it does make a good espresso (to me, who has admitted that I'm not a purist). Dedica is the model, and it's only 6 inches wide -
I had to look that up but it eliminates/reduces the ground coffee getting cooked quite as bad and yes since the baskets are stainless, the coffee's not running across some corroded oily surface. I like it.
An other thing is that you can see how the coffee is flowing out of the head to be sure the grind and tamping are correct, or some such thing. It is pretty to watch, too
But I leave it to the professionals and just drink the stuff. I could maybe see having a fancy home machine except for the counter space and because going in for coffee is what passes for a social life these days
Talking about the heavy head itself, not the basket/mesh insert which is stainless. Ours were chrome-plated brass (Rancilio) but the insides were bare brass. Maybe after years of use and they were originally chrome? I don't think so though. So anyway the espresso would fall thru the insert and hit the brass head and get funneled into your cup. See the "naked" version below and voila, problem solved!
We have a dorky home unit and it's aluminum with stainless inserts.
Ah, okay; yeah, the insides were usually bare brass. I have seen those "naked" or "bottomless" brew heads around lately, but I've never used one.
Talking about the heavy head itself, not the basket/mesh insert which is stainless. Ours were chrome-plated brass (Rancilio) but the insides were bare brass. Maybe after years of use and they were originally chrome? I don't think so though. So anyway the espresso would fall thru the insert and hit the brass head and get funneled into your cup. See the "naked" version below and voila, problem solved!
We have a dorky home unit and it's aluminum with stainless inserts.
We have a 'fancy' Dehlonghi machine. We came to rely on it so much I bought a spare. The spare needed a part and I was able to buy it and fix it, so I fell in love with the brand. The spare is now the North machine and the original lives in Mexico. The basket is definitely stainless, and the head is heavy enough to make me question why I stuck my foot out to break the fall when it slipped off the counter. It was fairly expensive, so I used to do a tabulation of how many coffee shop coffees I had replaced. I've had it for many years, now, so I'm far enough ahead I don't care about it anymore.
Talking about the heavy head itself, not the basket/mesh insert which is stainless. Ours were chrome-plated brass (Rancilio) but the insides were bare brass. Maybe after years of use and they were originally chrome? I don't think so though. So anyway the espresso would fall thru the insert and hit the brass head and get funneled into your cup. See the "naked" version below and voila, problem solved!
We have a dorky home unit and it's aluminum with stainless inserts.
I always thought those filter baskets were stainless steel, or that's what I remember.
Talking about the heavy head itself, not the basket/mesh insert which is stainless. Ours were chrome-plated brass (Rancilio) but the insides were bare brass. Maybe after years of use and they were originally chrome? I don't think so though. So anyway the espresso would fall thru the insert and hit the brass head and get funneled into your cup. See the "naked" version below and voila, problem solved!
We have a dorky home unit and it's aluminum with stainless inserts.
I had to look that up but it eliminates/reduces the ground coffee getting cooked quite as bad and yes since the baskets are stainless, the coffee's not running across some corroded oily surface. I like it.
So those "portafilters" that they make espresso through are bare brass on the inside (or aluminum or something else nasty). They need to be cleaned thoroughly daily to keep oils from building up and adding rancid notes to tomorrow's coffee...
...If the portafilter's cold when they put it up in the machine, that is a different problem with similar effects. It should be stored in the brew head so it's hot when they put the coffee in it, which means they need to work fast and not let the coffee sit on that hot metal for more than a few seconds.
I always thought those filter baskets were stainless steel, or that's what I remember. There may have been aluminum ones in some places I worked - it was a while ago.
I generally left the assembly in the brew head unless it got super busy, but if it got cold I would often run hot water into the basket under the open brewhead before filling it and tamping it. I usually steamed the milk while the shot was pouring.
So those "portafilters" that they make espresso through are bare brass on the inside (or aluminum or something else nasty). They need to be cleaned thoroughly daily to keep oils from building up and adding rancid notes to tomorrow's coffee. That usually means getting it clean right down to shiny brass. But of course now you've got filtered hot water hitting hot brass so it is going to take some metal with it... the solution is to start each day by wasting one or two shots and letting the brass get a thin layer of coffee oil built up again.
If they're over-enthusiastic about rinsing the portafilter throughout the day, that can remove that barrier as well. My assumption is that the barista went "oh, yup, I know what that's all about" and just did a new coffee from the "busy" head of the espresso machine and that solved it.
If the portafilter's cold when they put it up in the machine, that is a different problem with similar effects. It should be stored in the brew head so it's hot when they put the coffee in it, which means they need to work fast and not let the coffee sit on that hot metal for more than a few seconds. Those dorks who spend a minute tamping and futzing with it, then put it in the machine, get their milk ready, then at some point eventually push the button to pull the shot... no good.
That's fair enough, but it still seems weird to me that I lost the metallic taste but still can taste coffee.
My primary coffee hang out keeps the portafilter warm and has started using an auto-tamper so there is less faffing about after they grind the coffee. They also use naked portafilters. The previous owner still has his place in town called "Get Naked" for that reason and I have a Get Naked shirt from a place in Santa Fe that does the same. My place, and I think my main backups are constantly adjusting the grind through the day as the temperature and humidity changes. The guy who makes coffee at my punk barbershop (slogan "Get Buzzed") doesn't do that and the coffee can be erratic.
My routine is something along the lines of 'get all the steps in order so I don't have hot water in the cup'. Mrs. I likes to hit the button and go, so when I'm done, I usually set up the next double and leave it in the machine, but it can be anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes before she hits the go button. I do know that I'm tolerant of a lot of stuff across a pretty wide range. I've worked in a lot of environments with everything from Bunn pots to coin op machines and usually shit hours, so you really wanted coffee. I can generally tell good and great, and when I get a bad cup it must be pretty bad.
I think I said somewhere here already that of all the $7 coffees I had in Ireland, none were bad but none were worth talking about. Bad capps are badâI can taste that, but weak or average capps are hot water. So I don't order them often. I can taste iced espresso pretty much always, so that's a solid option. I had one coffee that made me ask for a refill... just a house drip, maybe french press I didn't look... it was fantastic. Still â¬4 though and I think they charged for the refill. 5 Stars would buy again.
edit: Oh they don't do drip so they must have made me an Americano. It was great, whatever. Get the shakshuka.
Since I have the covid tongue, I don't really care anymore. If you have a routine that makes a cup that does what you want, there's nothing to judge.
My routine is something along the lines of 'get all the steps in order so I don't have hot water in the cup'. Mrs. I likes to hit the button and go, so when I'm done, I usually set up the next double and leave it in the machine, but it can be anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes before she hits the go button. I do know that I'm tolerant of a lot of stuff across a pretty wide range. I've worked in a lot of environments with everything from Bunn pots to coin op machines and usually shit hours, so you really wanted coffee. I can generally tell good and great, and when I get a bad cup it must be pretty bad.
