(GPGT)Espresso machine hoot

[chanvh]

I have used both the BB005 and Niche, no comparison the Niche is much better.

The Niche is way better in terms of usability, consistency and workflow compared to the BB005, the BB005 has easily 3g of retention or more. Most of the grinds are stuck at the mouth of the exit chute you to remove the chute plate to access and clean up the stale grounds. There are some mods which you can do to make it easier to remove the retention, search around "BB005 3d printed mod"

Quite holistic considering the issue of having stale grinds, which in this case puts Niche at the upper echelon of the range. Lelit and Baratza has a good range option as well. Niche I quite like is the speed of switching back into pour over grinds then back to espresso for both myself and wife.

There's few resources online to compare between Bezzera E61 and Lelit MaraX, would it be fair to say Lelit is the more modern between the two?

 

[wook2000]

Quite holistic considering the issue of having stale grinds, which in this case puts Niche at the upper echelon of the range. Lelit and Baratza has a good range option as well. Niche I quite like is the speed of switching back into pour over grinds then back to espresso for both myself and wife.

There's few resources online to compare between Bezzera E61 and Lelit MaraX, would it be fair to say Lelit is the more modern between the two?

Yes i would say the Lelit MaraX is the more modern of the two, Lelit took the problems faced by many HX users and tried to solve it.

The Bianca series also has many innovative features not found in other DB.

 

[chanvh]

Yes i would say the Lelit MaraX is the more modern of the two, Lelit took the problems faced by many HX users and tried to solve it.

The Bianca series also has many innovative features not found in other DB.

Kudos to you @wook2000, this is a straightforward answer useful to an "uncle" like me.

 

[DriftKing]

Yes i would say the Lelit MaraX is the more modern of the two, Lelit took the problems faced by many HX users and tried to solve it.

The Bianca series also has many innovative features not found in other DB.

Kudos to you @wook2000, this is a straightforward answer useful to an "uncle" like me.

Quite interesting to see the development (or just italian stubborness or finally competition catches on), these E61s finally get their stainless steel boilers.

Good 10 years ago when all these espresso machine was starting out to get popular, having a shot timer or PID seems like modern marvel.

 

[patryn33]

Steel vs copper
https://www.home-barista.com/espresso-machines/stainless-steel-vs-copper-brass-boilers-t48680.html

Copper is at least 25% more expensive than steel. Manufacturers doing it to increase profit margin?

 

[codling]

Congrats on your new machine and welcome to the dark side What's the warm-up time like?

Thanks! Still trying to get good consistency producing the shots.
I haven’t got the chance to time it but it feels pretty close to the timings given by FCC.

 

[purpleberry]

0.2grams is pretty good rentention level isn't it? Considering that the gold standard Niche is 0.1grams

My 0.2gms is the bare minimum and accumulative and after a few grinds, it can retain up to 1-2gms inside. Sometimes grind 18gms and can get 18.5gms out

 

[chikyblink]

My 0.2gms is the bare minimum and accumulative and after a few grinds, it can retain up to 1-2gms inside. Sometimes grind 18gms and can get 18.5gms out

That's not how you measure retention. That's just new grounds replacing old grounds.
To measure actual retention, you have to first grinds some beans, doesn't matter how much. Then dismantle your grinder, sweep out every coffee grounds and measure that.

Sent from HUAWEI CLT-L29 using GAGT

 

[purpleberry]

That's not how you measure retention. That's just new grounds replacing old grounds.
To measure actual retention, you have to first grinds some beans, doesn't matter how much. Then dismantle your grinder, sweep out every coffee grounds and measure that.

Sent from HUAWEI CLT-L29 using GAGT

I know it's not the scientific way. Just saving up for the zero.

 

[chobo_kel]

What water do you all use for brewing? Bottled, filtered or good o tap?

 

[purpleberry]

Those who have ordered from Bright Coffee Co, what are the recommended beans? Price seems reasonable too.

https://www.brightcoffeecompany.com/beans/

 

[DriftKing]

Those who have ordered from Bright Coffee Co, what are the recommended beans? Price seems reasonable too.

https://www.brightcoffeecompany.com/beans/

Interersting, I've tried quite a few varieties listed here, but roasted by Lam Yeo instead.

Brazil Fazenda -> typical brazillian taste
Columbian Supremo -> very one sided columbian taste
Ethiopian Sidamo
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe
Indian Monsoon Malabar -> This was surprisingly different and not bad
Indonesian Sumatra Mandheling -> can't seem to enjoy this.
Kenyan AA -> not memorable
Tanzanian AA

Can't remember if I liked anyone better, not very memorable (not sure if it is the roasting that makes me feels that way)

Six Four - Apache ->very fragrant, the smell you get to smell from cafes (thanks for the recommendation)

Paksong - F5 Mountain and forest blend -> Laos Catuai + Ethiopia Sidamo, never really liked Ethiopian beans either because they are weak in the cup , but this one is rather different. Very pleasant with milk surprisingly. Didnt have the long aftertaste as described, but its damn fine for its price ($5.90 for 250gm)

 

[prozaizxc]

What water do you all use for brewing? Bottled, filtered or good o tap?

Reverse osmosis water and topped up with Sodium Bicarbonate and Magnesium Sulfate to reintroduce minerals for supposedly better tasting espressos. Secondary reason is that reverse osmosis water is not too good for the boilers as it would cause corrosion as it is too pure.

Using the Barista Hustle water recipe listed here:https://www.baristahustle.com/blog/diy-water-recipes-the-world-in-two-bottles/

 

[purpleberry]

Interersting, I've tried quite a few varieties listed here, but roasted by Lam Yeo instead.

Brazil Fazenda -> typical brazillian taste
Columbian Supremo -> very one sided columbian taste
Ethiopian Sidamo
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe
Indian Monsoon Malabar -> This was surprisingly different and not bad
Indonesian Sumatra Mandheling -> can't seem to enjoy this.
Kenyan AA -> not memorable
Tanzanian AA

Can't remember if I liked anyone better, not very memorable (not sure if it is the roasting that makes me feels that way)

Six Four - Apache ->very fragrant, the smell you get to smell from cafes (thanks for the recommendation)

Paksong - F5 Mountain and forest blend -> Laos Catuai + Ethiopia Sidamo, never really liked Ethiopian beans either because they are weak in the cup , but this one is rather different. Very pleasant with milk surprisingly. Didnt have the long aftertaste as described, but its damn fine for its price ($5.90 for 250gm)

Thanks for sharing! After trying a few Paksong blends, their best are the ones with Laos beans. Their Madheling and Papua New Guinea also very good for the chocolatey after taste.

For those who like winey and sourish after taste can try their Peaberry. Not to my liking but I know some may like it. Next on my list is more Apache and Monsoon Malabar.

 

[chanvh]

Reverse osmosis water and topped up with Sodium Bicarbonate and Magnesium Sulfate to reintroduce minerals for supposedly better tasting espressos. Secondary reason is that reverse osmosis water is not too good for the boilers as it would cause corrosion as it is too pure.

Using the Barista Hustle water recipe listed here:https://www.baristahustle.com/blog/diy-water-recipes-the-world-in-two-bottles/

our PUB already supplies moderately soft water. If any, would it be an overkill to perform as the reverse osmosis? Would it be easier to just put all of the tap water in a Brita/Morita/Plumb filter and then top that into the tank?

 

[YouHeypiCanLiao]

Some bros like me also tried Pak Song. Cheap,fresh and good especially if you’re a milk drinker imho

I personally find that with so many roasters/cafes out there, we are spoilt for choice. There's no need to pay so much for good espresso. Some of the 'branded cafes' aren't even that great for the price *cough PPP cough*

My favourites are SixFour Coffee's Apache blend ($12/250g, free delivery), and Highlander Coffee's Supremo and Quattro blends (also $12 each).

Posted with Nokia 8310 HardwareZone Forums app

 

[prozaizxc]

our PUB already supplies moderately soft water. If any, would it be an overkill to perform as the reverse osmosis? Would it be easier to just put all of the tap water in a Brita/Morita/Plumb filter and then top that into the tank?

I already have a reverse osmosis water filter in my home so I'm doing this but yes, probably using a Brita or BWT jug type filter is enough.

 

[chanvh]

Hello, I figured I went with Bezzera since I rather start with something simple than having to deal profiling and so decided to focus mainly on understanding extraction / brewing times vs grind sizes. With a Niche ahead in March, I went ahead and ordered and received a Bezzera Magica with BB005. Yes, it was a long shot but I saw it live in action and figured that I'd not count the ground retention as a critical factor since my Niche will arrive to take its rightful place. I'd use the BB005 as a practice item and mainstay for my fav espressos through time.

The experience with FCC is as stated, super efficient, ordered on Friday, arrived first thing mid day of Monday. I am still impressed and got the start of the machine by doing a lot of flushes and then to pulling shots. I am trying out the single shot basket from here on.. as I think 7g to 9g would be more than enough to start my day.

1) anyone dialed-in single baskets before? if yes, was that on a 7g and how did you do the distribution seeing that the basket for single shots design is different than the straight walled double shots?

2) when you measure, do you measure from first drop and how did you do the seconds per the grams of grind coffee?

3) on darker roasts, do you judge your grind size / grams ratio based on a less accidic taste or a profile such as "balanced, clarity, sweet" or just "full bodied, chocolatey, slightly bitter"? how do you do the taste test when on your pulls?

 

[testerjp]

our PUB already supplies moderately soft water. If any, would it be an overkill to perform as the reverse osmosis? Would it be easier to just put all of the tap water in a Brita/Morita/Plumb filter and then top that into the tank?

I remember in the coffee geek or home barista forum, they mentioned that the brita filters don't offer alot of mileage for softening. They are not designed for softening. And the filters release carbon dust which choke up the machines. I won't even try.

 

[nubbyyy]

I remember in the coffee geek or home barista forum, they mentioned that the brita filters don't offer alot of mileage for softening. They are not designed for softening. And the filters release carbon dust which choke up the machines. I won't even try.

Also, Reverse Osmosis water may be bad for your machine

"Reverse osmosis systems typically will take all the mineral out of the water, and this is problematic as well as the machine requires mineral content for many of the internal sensors. For most optimal results, the Specialty Coffee Association of America recommend hardness above 35ppm and below 85ppm."

https://clivecoffee.com/blogs/learn/the-importance-of-water-and-your-espresso-machine

"Due to it’s ability to leach metals and cause corrosion we do not recommend using distilled or reverse osmosis water in coffee and espresso equipment. We do however recommend using a water filter."

https://www.wholelattelove.com/blogs/how-to/what-type-of-water-is-best-for-my-espresso-machine