(GPGT)Espresso machine hoot

[testerjp]

Why need to buy the vst basket. I'm extracting fine with the original one.
I thought someone mentioned he has more problem with it?

I'm more interested in single 7g baskets with a funnel and small tamper.
I don't want to make double espressos every time

 

[patryn33]

Got this at LAX , at usd$18.60 price is higher than what's listed online not cool

 

[CTBR]

Why need to buy the vst basket. I'm extracting fine with the original one.
I thought someone mentioned he has more problem with it?

I'm more interested in single 7g baskets with a funnel and small tamper.
I don't want to make double espressos every time

I was suggesting baskets in response to him spending money on calibrated tampers..I'm not saying vst baskets are a necessity, although I did notice a slight improvement in taste when I switched to epnw(espressoparts) baskets.

 

[CTBR]

Got this at LAX , at usd$18.60 price is higher than what's listed online not cool

Bro, then why you buy

 

[patryn33]

Bro, then why you buy

After I bought it then I check the price.. In a rush to catch a plane board like 15mins, have to go from terminal 7 to 6. Plus it's 6 am wasn't thinking then woke up like 3.30am

 

[Lazy_Tiger]

Why need to buy the vst basket. I'm extracting fine with the original one.
I thought someone mentioned he has more problem with it?

I'm more interested in single 7g baskets with a funnel and small tamper.
I don't want to make double espressos every time

VST baskets are hard to use. more holes and can get channeling if basket is not prepared properly. Grind too coarse and channeling and spritzing will happen no matter how well you prep the basket. But it promotes extraction yield. very useful if you are going for lighter roasts. I find using VST baskets balances acidity for light roasts. Depending on your preferences light roasts may need a higher dose (18-22g) to get a nice intensity. You can always use higher temps, dose lower and grind finer for lighter roasts to get the balance but the espresso will be thin and weak on 58mm baskets.

Many specialty roasters use VST baskets as a bench mark when coming out with their roast level and espresso recipe. If you believe your roaster is a artisan and you would like to more accurately experience what the roaster is trying showcase in the coffee then vst baskets might be a good idea if the roaster also uses the same.

If you are interested to try out single baskets, i suggest use a concave tamper. my single baskets need a 10g dose rather than a 7g dose. I don't find single baskets work well with light roasts. Better with traditional dark roasted stuff ground slightly finer.

 

[Lazy_Tiger]

hmm, any cheap portafilter do you recommend? Cause right now I kinda have no idea where to look at other that the cafelat portafilter. Any thoughts on those? http://www.cafelatstore.com/products/rancilio-portafilter

kinda a dual purpose portafilter it can be bottomless as well as have a spout attached to it. My stock rancilio portafilter has a piece of the wire around the rim of the portafilter sticking out, making the basket kinda hard to attach but otherwise works fine so I could use that portafilter to replace mine as well as have a bottomless portafilter

the wire can be adjusted (Bend it) to make it less difficult to pull out the basket. or use a thinner wire.

I find ridged more useful to prevent accidents when dumping the used puck.

the cafelat one is really useful and very well designed. some days you wanna check for channeling and verify even extraction. some days you want the spout for nicer presentation. fits a triple basket with the spout (many stock portafilters can't do this). Have not personally tried it but i would buy it if i didn't already have a bottomless one.

When i was using a silvia i bought my bottomless from coffeeparts au. about 80AUD so yup its not cheap but came with a free triple basket.

 

[Lazy_Tiger]

Tbh I think calibrated tampers are a waste of money. I don't think you need to be so precise on the amount of pressure you exert as long as the surface is level and tamping pressure is more or less consistent . Baskets like vst or epnw will give you more of an improvement in extraction.
You can look at cafelat for better quality portafilters.

I have a calibrated tamper. True tamping no need to be precise. but when you are starting out the calibrated tamper help to build the muscle memory in the long run so you know you are in the correct ball park.

Expensive yes. The alternative is to train with a weighing scale.

Tamping does not need to be so precise with the pressure but a light med and heavy tamp does affect the flow rate.....

 

[Lazy_Tiger]

If you wanna get VSTs, at least get a 58.35mm tamper. Either Pullman or reg Barber. It'll be a closer fit for the VSTs.

Sent from Samsung SM-N910G using GAGT

plus 1 on the 58.35 tamper. I have to tamp NSEW cos my 58mm tamper is too small.

Or you can go all the way can get a pergtamp. More OCD.
http://mattperger.com/Pergtamp#.VXsAm-fwOcM

 

[CTBR]

I have a calibrated tamper. True tamping no need to be precise. but when you are starting out the calibrated tamper help to build the muscle memory in the long run so you know you are in the correct ball park.

Expensive yes. The alternative is to train with a weighing scale.

Tamping does not need to be so precise with the pressure but a light med and heavy tamp does affect the flow rate.....

Yes to all points, but what I meant is a consistent tamping pressure, regardless of whether it's 30lbs or 20lbs. I prefer to control flow rate with grind size.

 

[prozaizxc]

plus 1 on the 58.35 tamper. I have to tamp NSEW cos my 58mm tamper is too small.

Or you can go all the way can get a pergtamp. More OCD.
http://mattperger.com/Pergtamp#.VXsAm-fwOcM

After reading what you guys have to say about the VSTs I think I may hold off that purchase. For normal rancilio basket, should I get a 58mm tamper or a 58.35mm tamper?

 

[Lazy_Tiger]

After reading what you guys have to say about the VSTs I think I may hold off that purchase. For normal rancilio basket, should I get a 58mm tamper or a 58.35mm tamper?

Hard to say actually. More variation in basket size with stock baskets than with vst precision baskets. To be safe just go for 58mm standard tamper if u wanna use stock. Tamper too small still can tamp but tamper too big then can't use it at all.

 

[prozaizxc]

Hard to say actually. More variation in basket size with stock baskets than with vst precision baskets. To be safe just go for 58mm standard tamper if u wanna use stock. Tamper too small still can tamp but tamper too big then can't use it at all.

okay, gotcha, shall get the 58mm thanks!!

 

[chikyblink]

El cheapo brew grinder hoot

Picked this one up over at taobao
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=19019018177

Its an imitation of the Fuji Royal R220.
The box has thai words.

I bought the more expensive one(198rmb instead of 188rmb), which I thought is white, but its actually more of a silver/grey colour. Cheat my feelings

Here's the sticker underneath, which also houses 2 extra fuse.

I opened up and agar agar measure the size of the burrs, looks to be 58mm.

 

[chikyblink]

I counted 17 steps. This grind is at the '2' setting

This is the grounds at the finest setting. Definitely not fine enough for espresso.

Overall built quality feels cheap, but at this price point, its a complete steal. The provided catchcup is very static-ky. Grounds exiting also tend to fly everywhere. The grounds also will stick to the area surrounding the exit point. Very messy. Retention is about 2gm. If I brushed off the grounds stuck underneath I get about 1gm retention or less. RDT definitely helps here. As the burrs get seasoned I hope this issue will minimise in the future.

This is the overall price I paid. I used peeka. If you know other cheaper ways to ship here it'll cost even lower.

 

[Lazy_Tiger]

I counted 17 steps. This grind is at the '2' setting


This is the grounds at the finest setting. Definitely not fine enough for espresso.


Overall built quality feels cheap, but at this price point, its a complete steal. The provided catchcup is very static-ky. Grounds exiting also tend to fly everywhere. The grounds also will stick to the area surrounding the exit point. Very messy. Retention is about 2gm. If I brushed off the grounds stuck underneath I get about 1gm retention or less. RDT definitely helps here. As the burrs get seasoned I hope this issue will minimise in the future.

This is the overall price I paid. I used peeka. If you know other cheaper ways to ship here it'll cost even lower.

Congrats on your purchase. Most important QN. How does it taste in the cup?

 

[chikyblink]

Congrats on your purchase. Most important QN. How does it taste in the cup?

Have not brew any to try yet. A little too late for coffee now. But I'll do a rough comparison to my Lido2 in the days to come.

 

[CTBR]

To be accurate, I think this is an imitation of an imitation(山寨flying eagle-flying eagle-fuji royal). Who knows, maybe it'll be as good as the authentic flying eagle. Your lido 2 will definitely beat it in grind consistency from what I've read online. Worth testing though because it's so much cheaper than lido2.

 

[chikyblink]

Some updates:

Grind comparison to the Lido2. Even with the naked eye, i can see grounds ranging from fines to boulders on the FE(flying eagle). While the Lido2 produce a much more consistent grind particles.

Made 2 aeropress from each grinder.
14gm dose
200gm water at 95° inverted.

Lido2's cup wins hands down no contest. Smoother tasting cup compared to the FE, which tasted more bitter. Don't get me wrong, FE's cup is still very much drinkable though. I think both grinders fairly justify their respective price point.

For the FE, I think if one bothers to sieve out the fines every time, the value for this grinder will go up a fair bit. Nonetheless, for those starting-out/on-a-budget, its worth a consider.

 

[elisee1]

Beginner here: If my espresso has no crema, the most likely suspect is that my grind is not fine enough right? Im using a cheapo espresso machine.