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From a home roasting perspective I definitely think it's better to pre-roast blend. It would take a lot of time/energy to roast individual single origins to possibly different levels, then try to figure out a good ratio. I buy quality green blends so each coffee will be slightly different at the...

Oh I definitely don't feel the Silvia is difficult, meant that it's very unforgiving in that it's not a turn it on, wait 5 mins and push a button machine like many think. I like things to be challenging and find what I squeeze out of the Silvia is quite awesome. I refuse to install a PID as to...

Actually on most forums lately the Gaggia Classic is considered the 'entry level' along with the Sette grinder. I have been rocking a Silvia for about 2.5 yrs. now and can honestly say I'd never recommend it for somebody starting out. Of all the machines I've used the Silvia is the most...

I found wide mouth Mason jars to be superior to the FoodSaver bags/material. Used the wide mouth jar attachment for the FoodSaver and worked great. Of course the jars, lids are reusable indefinitely and don't absorb any off taste/odor. When I needed a fresh jar I would just take it out of deep...

Proper format, lmao?!? I've vacuum sealed/deep frozen whole bean coffee in Mason jars as well as FoodSaver bags and they work quite well. There is no special vacuum container that 'must' be used for optimal results. Next to home roasting, buying in bulk and vacuum sealing/deep freezing is the...

The ground coffee receptacle is clear plastic and definitely not difficult looking at the coffee as it's blown out of the 'grind' chamber. That will allow you to see the dust/static as the grounds blow/stick to the inside of the receptacle. More power to you if it works for you, but it didn't...

That Cuisinart was the first 'grinder' I owned and wouldn't call it a grinder at all. Just pulverizes with fake junk burrs. You end up with inconsistent particle size, lots of dust and static.

During a recent lengthy hospital stay I actually tried that type of machine for 'double espresso' and I will say it was better than nothing, but that's about it. Those things typically use some sort of fine powdered coffee to brew that concentrated/fast. I can only imagine to how rough the...

This morning it was 3 doubles extracted from 7-day old home roasted Moka Kadir. That's one of the best blends I've experimented with since starting home roasting and I buy all of mine from Sweet Maria's. Not trying to advertise for them, but they are second to none for what they do. Actually...

Oh I can agree with standards to a degree, but when you sell a product to someone you can't dictate exactly how it should be utilized. Just remembered there is a decent coffeeshop maybe 6-8 miles from me looking to hire a barista. They use Counter Culture and their requirement is that you must...

I think Counter Culture USED to be quite good, but it seems all they focus on these days is 3rd wave light roasted garbage. I once really liked their Espresso Toscano, which was probably one of the best blends they have ever had. Actually considered buying wholesale from them for commercial use...

I have a Rocky too and find it to be quite awesome. I wouldn't purge and waste coffee... I'd recommend weighing/pouring in what you need for pour over and grind that. Once the grinding is complete brush the top area of burrs for anything that popcorned out of the burrs, which can only be done if...

Breville seems iffy at best... they offer a lot of form, function, etc. for the $, but the build quality, parts longevity/availability seem to be a joke. They sell appliances as they damn sure shouldn't call them quality espresso machines.

Not really, but this question pops up often on forums. For those wanting both types of coffee I recommend using an espresso machine and make Americanos to take the place of drip, etc.

I usually won't buy coffee when I'm out and about. 1st reason is that of all the places I've tried straight espresso, I've yet to find any shop that compares to what I roast/extract at home. 2nd reason is the cost as having owned/operated a full blown mobile setup years ago I know what things...

That might get you close, but definitely not a guarantee. You can put 10 Encores side-by-side and they will each likely vary to some degree. You have manufacturing tolerances involved, some have calibrated theirs to have better range/consistency either more fine or coarse, all coffees will vary...

A few things to mention... The coffee you're buying likely isn't nearly as fresh as what's used in-store and yes it makes quite the difference with taste, body, etc. A monster tamp isn't needed as for many years I've found it much better to grind finer, updose as much as I can get away with and...

What machine, grinder, scale are you using? 1-Varies depending on basket/group design, coffee, grind fineness, etc. 2-How do you currently use the scale? 3-There is no right/wrong way to tamp, just try to keep the tamp pressure consistent and level. The 30# tamp is ridiculous. I grind a bit...

Anybody with the HAVE TO HAVE DARK mantra... first, taste is subjective and we all have an opinion. Second, define what you consider dark... I home roast and have used A LOT of nationally recognized artisan roaster coffees over the years for home/commercial use. Absolute best espresso for taste...

Temperature readings on those machines are kind of a joke anyway as the gauges/sensors never held up for long. If possible I'd recommend removing the sensor and drill/tap the hole, then install a bolt, plug, etc. with a bit of high temp silicone or teflon tape on the threads.

I will do a bit of research on that particular machine, but it sounds as if it might have volumetric control, which means it will dispense a certain amount of water and stop extracting automatically. If that machine has that capability you can either change the time/volume or just override and...

I'd say never read into what other people think/do as everybody is different. There may be Italian standards that some still believe in regarding espresso, but I've never gone by time, volume or weight/ratio. I go by taste, texture and color as that's what matters, not a bunch of numbers.

Yeah super autos typically grind more coarse, dose/tamp less and this gives a faster/thinner extraction. More than likely they are designed that way to give decent/consistent results while minimizing problems/maintenance. The single shot, double shot, etc. will just get you in the ballpark...

Only semi-autos with a built-in grinder that seem to have a decent reputation are those from Breville. They heat up fast, allow decent milk texturing and aren't that costly for what you get. https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes870.html

When we owned/operated a full blown mobile setup there really wasn't much in the way of maintenance cost as I did it myself. For the machine I backflushed it as needed (plain water or Cafiza), kept it clean/functioning like new, etc. The only parts I ever had to replace were the group gaskets...

$16 per 12 oz. bag? Kind of expensive if you ask me, but to each his/her own. Never had a Breville product, but they seem pretty good for what they're designed/priced for. That combo and fresh coffee should keep you happy for some time.

There's no such thing as 'espresso beans' as any coffee can be used for any brew/extraction method. Just that some coffees are better suited for espresso or French press or whatever...Espresso is extracted under pressure and that magnifies any flaws in the coffee as well as magnifying any...

Any idea what machine? Needs to be paired with a decent grinder and FRESH coffee suitable for espresso. Any coffee can be used for any brew method, but some are better suited for particular applications. Extracting espresso involves pressure and that magnifies any flaws in a coffee...

Bottom line is going by volume, time, weight, etc. will simply get you to a ballpark area, then you fine tune based on taste, texture, etc. How much coffee you use depends on the machine (group/shower screen design, basket depth), grind fineness, etc. Feel free to try the 2 oz. in 30 seconds...

Yes good catch, which I have corrected. I let them degas with the lid loose for 24 hrs, then snug it down and let them age 5-6 days before using. Too fresh and you miss out on some flavor... Too old and you start to lose texture.

Home roasting is awesome as I've been doing it for about 2.5 years now and have no intention of ever buying roasted coffee again. I've only used 2 green suppliers... Happy Mug I bought 15# from one time. Price was crazy low, in bulk that order cost me about $4/lb and shipping was nice as well...

Honestly the burrs used in 'good' grinders will last most average users a lifetime or close to it. Most being hardened steel they will easily grind hundreds of pounds on average and last YEARS (possibly decades) under normal home use. I'd see no need to rush the process of changing them for home...

I will approach the topic on both levels... for a handful of years my wife/I operated a mobile commercial coffee van. As you can imagine having all sorts of syrups, sauces, smoothie mixes onboard attracted lots of insects. When parked at home ants came knocking during certain times of the year...

Yeah I can agree that buying used can be iffy IF you're not familiar with things of this nature or mechanically inclined to some degree. Lacking crema is 'usually' stale coffee as I could use 4-5 day post roast coffee, pulverize it with a mortar/pestle and hardly tamp and still have plenty of...

True... power was never an issue for us as we had a Generac home standby generator bolted to the back rack. Was around 14K watts running and 18K starting watt rating. Ran it off of propane. If I ever did something like that again I'd get a large capacity diesel generator and feed it from the...

Never had a Breville grinder, but what I've read is that they're generally decent on grind quality, but the durability/longevity leaves a lot to be desired. I've watched quite a few vids on them and the gearbox whine/struggle would get annoying. Rocky is direct drive and never struggles under...

That's Breville advertising/hype for you... Keep in mind that even though they have drastically improved over the years, they are still an appliance company. Even though something like the Razor may help you get the dose consistent/close, there will always be changing variables. Dose depends...

That Elektra lever machine is definitely capable of great espresso if you have good grind quality and fresh coffee.

I'd have to classify them as follows... semi-autos (which the operator controls the extraction start-finish), then autos in which volumetrics come into play, then full/super autos that do all the work for you. To each his/her own I suppose...

Forgot to mention anything about used machines... Yes buying used is fine IF you know what to look for regarding use/abuse/maintenance. Commercial machines are built to be left on/used all day for years. Over time things like group gaskets, steam valve seals, etc. wear and have to be replaced...

Actually had a mobile setup for a handful of years. Although levers are awesome, it may be too much time/effort for some to use effectively/efficiently. OTOH I'm not a fan of autos either, but most autos don't have to be operated via volumetric controls and can still be controlled manually. I...

By all accounts from those that own the machine, the built-in grinder is calibrated for espresso range grinding and not really capable of coarser methods. If you're looking for a good stand alone grinder I highly recommend the Rancilio Rocky. May cost a bit more than you might want to spend...

There is no 'best', only what works best for YOU for a given application. I've owned and/or operated higher end double boiler and heat exchange machines on a commercial level. A properly designed HX machine is easily the equal of a double boiler setup.

Thanks... the wine rack is perfect for holding wide mouth Mason jars. They are labeled/organized according to blend/date I roasted them. I roast/rotate so the coffee is aged around 7 days post roast before I use a jar. Awesome thing is due to me carefully sourcing/buying used and building my own...

Actually the darker you roast you start decreasing 3 things... caffeine, weight and coffee notes. You start picking up more roast notes, which gives people the sense the coffee is stronger, when in fact caffeine is burning off and as the coffee gets darker you lose density/weight. I don't think...

I have little to add with the K-cup discussion, but guess they certainly have their place for those that want simplicity, consistency, easy clean-up, etc. My issues with them would be the cost per use and all the plastic waste. That can be offset by utilizing the reusable capsules/fresh ground...

https://www.ereplacementparts.com/sensor-p-695102.html https://www.ereplacementparts.com/water-tank-tray-p-695090.html Judging by the tank design/sensor it could be magnetic in function. Can't say for sure as I've never used one of those machines. If that's the case it could be the sensor...

Never seen a machine quite like that one. First, what coffee are you using as the most important factor with espresso is using FRESH coffee? Any coffee (single origin/blend/roast level) will work for espresso, but some are much better suited for the pressure involved, but it has to be somewhat...

Can you post a pic of the machine as I can't find much online to go by?

More power to you with the 'new wave' coffee as I find most of it to be too light/acidic for my taste. That is a primary reason I started home roasting as I didn't like the direction many online roasters were going with their coffee selections/roast level. If you want something done right, just...

Breville has gotten much better than they were just 4-5 years ago, but are still more of an appliance than purely coffee driven if that makes sense. They do offer innovative features, have improved the temperature stability in their lineup, include many extras often overlooked by most...

Yeah a local roaster or the commonly mentioned online artisan roasters should work well for you. Personally I wouldn't bother with eBay, Amazon, etc. sellers. You could also touch base with member 'Topher' as he roasts, but I don't know how he markets the coffees (retail, wholesale, etc.)...

What type of coffee labels? If you're selling actual coffee be sure to include as much info about that coffee as possible. Simple/effective tasting notes, an actual roast date, where it's grown, etc. as many people want details.

No experience with any Breville machines, but you're referring to the group gasket. I've seen some articles/videos on it being done and it looks to be more involved than what is required with most semi-auto type machines. The gasket either seals or leaks, no in between really. You likely won't...

I will do a bit of searching if it helps, but why not tell us what it is you need to know about that machine?

I've had a Rocky for 1 year now and find it to be a fantastic grinder. The build quality, performance, consistency is very good, especially for the price point. I have an older one (2005), but found it barely used. Not likely the build quality has changed over the years as most things Rancilio...

Even though the video is in another language, you might find this helpful... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=405X81cr6AM

I have no experience with automatics such as that, but is it possible you need to do a thorough cleaning of the brew unit? What exactly is the infuser you mention?

I agree with levers being the most simple/long lasting, but would imagine one wouldn't fit the work flow for many people. Unfortunately some want push button (volumetric) convenience/repeatability. There are plenty of quality brands on the market and choosing one is just too subjective. Any...

Depends on how the coffee is ground of course... typical rule of thumb is the longer the contact time with the water the coarser the grind. The only exception to that would be Turkish, but you won't care about overextracting it when so much sugar is used to offset that. For espresso if I had to...