Espresso - I should get me a machine that makes this...

[SFIV1967]

I have a Moka Pot, and I use it from time to time,...
So then, what am I doing wrong?

In general you need high pressure to produce a good foam.

But it can be done with a Moka Pot:



Ralf

 

[Canard]

In general you need high pressure to produce a good foam.

But it can be done with a Moka Pot:



Ralf

Thanks. Very interesting.

The getting of the foam does seem to require the specialized Moka pot. I have an ancient Gen 1 Bialetti model that does not have the pressure-cooker like valve in the pot. I do not think I can get it to produce crema, but I will try.

 

[Canard]

The Bialetti web site page for the Moka Express pots has illustrated written instructions, as well as a video, and one of their illustrations appears to show crema in the pot.



Scroll down the Bialetti page to about the middle.

Moka Express

www.bialetti.com

 

[Guildedagain]

Reporting crema in my pot, and the bubbling/huffing only happens after the water is done, so 5 minutes from start to buzz, impressive, all the machine I need.

I'm on my second test today.

 

[beecee]

If you watch French or Italian TV and movies, all you will see when people serve coffee is Bialetti Moka pots or clones. The Moka pots produce hotter coffee with considerably more caffeine BUZZ. I have a number of sizes of Bialetti pots. I use the huge one when I have to make (faux) espresso for a larger number of people. The little single cup one is a constant companion on camping and canoeing trips.

aaahhh...a fellow backpacking/canoeing coffee hound!

I retired my Svea 123 years ago in favor of an Optimus cannister.....I know~But I'm using my White box more and more lately

 

[HeyMikey]

I’m a bit buzzed on Old Fashioneds but am going to try to share some tips if I can remember from my coffee roasting days on how to get a good espresso crema.

The crema comes from a combination of carbon dioxide in the beans after they are roasted and the fats and oils that get bubbled up from the CO2.

First you need fresh beans for a good CO2 level, which dissipates steadily after roasting. The sweet spot is 2-10 days after roasting. You need to wait a couple days after roasting for some of the CO2 to blow off otherwise it’s just not right. Whole beans store best and should be ground just before brewing. Otherwise keep ground beans air tight in the freezer for up to a couple weeks.

Second you need beans high in fat/oil content. Look to add a healthy mix of beans like Brazil Santos, Columbia Suprema, Honduran varietals or others which have a natural high fat content.

Third, do not use dark roast beans! I know this seems counterintuitive because of misleading marketing, but the fat and oils get pulled out of the bean to the surface on dark roasts and generally get slothed off. You want those oils not only in your espresso but regular coffee as well. Medium roasted beans make a much better espresso and richer crema.

However if you like the dark roast (gag , burnt) flavor then mix in about 10% dark roast African beans like Kenya or Ethiopian. Why? Because dark roasting kills the acidity in the bean and African beans have higher acidity so stand up better to dark roasting. Otherwise, the espresso (or coffee) will taste flat and the crema will suffer. This is especially important if you drink milk-based espresso drinks or put milk in your coffee, where you need the acidity to cut through the milk.

Robusta (cheaper low land beans) are actually higher in fats than their counterpart arabica (better, high elevation ) beans, though they are less flavorful and more bitter. You can use some but in small amounts. Honestly it’s not worth the bother.

A good general purpose espresso blend is blend something like
- 50% medium roasted Guatemalan or similar medium acidity beans for a rich flavor.
- 30-40% medium roast Brazil Santos, Columbian, Hondouran, or Indian high fat bean for the crema.
- 10-20% french roast African high acidity bean if you like the smokiness.

Experiment with different beans, mostly medium roast depending on how you drink your espresso - straight up, iced, or with milk.

Now I need another drink…

 

[Guildedagain]

However if you like the dark roast (gag , burnt)

I only like dark roast, the blacker the better. I find the flavor of medium roast irritating but will sometimes mix the two to make something between the two.

 

[HeyMikey]

I only like dark roast, the blacker the better. I find the flavor of medium roast irritating but will sometimes mix the two to make something between the two.

Sorry Guilded, I didn’t mean to offend. I probably shouldn’t have added my comment about dark roast as I know a lot of people prefer it. As you can tell, I do not. My brother, however, only drinks dark roasts - and he has an amazing palette. Then again he prefers very peated Scotch where as I prefer mildly peated. So I guess that means he is wrong and I am right.

 

[Midnight Toker]

https://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-Espresso-Cappuccino-Stainless-EC260BK/dp/B08C96BG9H/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=TJCY3R8MUVDO&keywords=delonghi+espresso+machine&qid=1676905975&sprefix=delonghi%2Caps%2C558&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFDWlRTMkNBRUtUVUEmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA2OTc3MDczNkU3RVpNRkM3V0FWJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA4NjQ3OTQzRUxOTDRUSEVYQU1CJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

I have one of these. Well not the EXACT one, but same brand and similar price. I've had it for 6-7 years and it does a fantastic job. I only use it on weekends as I don't have time before work to mess w/ it and just make regular coffee to go. Cleanup doesn't take long. Just a quick rinse and wipe down, and the milk steamer, I just stick the stem w/ milk froth remnants on it in a cup of water, turn it on, and allow the steam from the machine itself to clean...itself.

A great cuppa for under $120! If you are regularly paying coffee shop prices for a fancy drink, this machine will likely pay for itself in no time.

 

[Guildedagain]

Peaty Scotch here. McClelland's Islay if on a budget, Laphroaig if money was no object.

 

[Canard]

Third, do not use dark roast beans! I know this seems counterintuitive because of misleading marketing, but the fat and oils get pulled out of the bean to the surface on dark roasts and generally get slothed off. You want those oils not only in your espresso but regular coffee as well. Medium roasted beans make a much better espresso and richer crema.

However if you like the dark roast (gag , burnt) flavor ....

A wonderful post (in its entirety). Thanks.

Addressing darkness above:

I once visited a small boutique coffee roaster run by a man who had tried to sell his coffee roasting business (in San Francisco, if I remember correctly) when he retired but wasn't able to sell. So he brought his gear to a village in Canada where he had planned to retire to and set up his business again as kind of a retirement hobby. He was quite contemptuous of big brand coffees. He said they need a consistent flavour for their lines but they deal in such volumes that the only way to get consistency is to burn the hell out of the beans.

I have a penchant for dark coffee, black and bitter like my personality. In my youth, I worked on commercial fishing boats where the coffee always ended up like Peruvian coffee syrup/oil. There was a coffee pot on the oil stove all day long. In the morning, it was started with water and ground coffee. It was boiled. Filters, percolators, presses and such were for wusses. When the boiled coffee was consumed, the old grounds were not removed from the pot. More coffee was added to the old grounds, water was added, and it was all boiled again. By midday, you could stand a spoon in it. Turkish coffee? Hah! Watery light weight stuff!

I do, however, enjoy variety. And I have encountered some espresso that is so flavourful and sweet (without sugar) that I could become a convert. LOL.

 

[Canard]

Peaty Scotch here. McClelland's Islay if on a budget, Laphroaig if money was no object.

Och, McClelland's Islay and Laphroaig's for fussy bairns t'keep em quiet as a wee dormouse in winter.

Nu ... Talisker'll put hair on yer chest, man!

 

[Guildedagain]

Manchester my bonnie calls it, likes a furry man ;[]

To think it's this, and then down the loo, what bloody marvelous machines we are.

Only one left!

 

[GGJaguar]

Apparently, coffee makers were an option in 1959 Volkswagens.

 

[Westerly Wood]

Apparently, coffee makers were an option in 1959 Volkswagens.

Increases car value by 1k, at least. back then.

 

[chazmo]

Apparently, coffee makers were an option in 1959 Volkswagens.

Way ahead of their time, eh? So, how'd the Mr. Fusion end up on a DeLorean instead of a V Dub???

 

[adorshki]

Way ahead of their time, eh? So, how'd the Mr. Fusion end up on a DeLorean instead of a V Dub???

VW couldn't hack the product placement fee.

 

[Prince of Darkness]

I am free from the need from cream and sugar, no objection to them but not generally required for me. It simplifies things a bit.

I have a trusty old small single burner Optimus white-gas/naphtha stove which has gone with me backpacking, camping, glamping, sports fishing, driving, canoeing, etc. In a pinch, it can also use gasoline/petrol/benzine, although I do not recommend such habitual use. I have the small hand-pump starter kit for it so I can get it working quickly in cold weather. The Optimus stove and my single cup Bialetti Moka pot ($1.25 CDN at a thrift store plus the cost of new rings) have had a long and beautiful relationship, one that will continue. It was at first sight between them.

BTW: The pic here is cribbed from a long dead EBay listing.

One of my brothers has had a SVEA123 (marketed as an Optimus Climber), like this, for many years, which uses basically the same burner.

A few years back, I picked up a Burmos No.21 paraffin (kerosene) stove, like this. Based on a classic Primus design.

One of the things I really like about this is it's simplicity. If you want more heat, you pump it up a bit, less heat, open the pressure relief valve for less heat. Completely open the valve to switch off.

 

[Guildedagain]

"Coffee Machines" All the way back to the hand grinder and cowboy coffee maker.

 

[davidbeinct]

My work setup. The machine in the background is for the Philistines.