Do you have a multimeter with a wire thermocouple you can check temp actually in the portafilter with. Its easy to fit portafilter with a wire couple inside it, wont damage anything. With the steam you are mentioning maybe your running hotter than the numbers suggest.
Ade Smith. ACS Evo Leva v2. Kafatek Flat max 2, ssw 2024. Mazzer Philos, Craig Lyn HG-1 prime., WW key mk1.
LMSC I drink all sort of drinks but straight espresso is where my problem comes,long black comes out nice and smooth,maybe I should adjust my recipe for higher yields ,maybe 1:2 is too strong for my taste buds.
My previous set up was barista touch and Compaq e5 and yeah my experience was similar, one of the reason I decide to change my grinders.
Cuprajake Never got on with redbrick
Try a different bean, I personally can’t stand Guatemala beans, perhaps you don’t like these
Guatemala? 🤔
Adrianmsmith Can you recommend one i tried to google that now but just wires come up first. Ill order one,good to have I guess.
MuddyOne Sorry, based on what you have shared, may be, your taste buds might not be suiting you to drink straight espresso. I am not saying you should not or doesn’t. It is another angle which might be worth considering. The only way to find out is trying other options advised here.
Espresso is a thick liquid and diluting (not pulling longer) with hot water would not just help release the flavours but also help us appreciate the cup better.
Unless you are using lighter stuffs, 1:2 is ok. I don’t know if Red Bricks fall on the darker side (like Medium Dark). May be, you can try 1:1.5.
You have lots of suggestions (stock basket, fresher beans, anything other than Red Bricks) which should keep you very busy. 😊
Edit:
Redbricks has Caramel as a flavour which can be likened to bitterness at the finish. This isn’t unpleasant like medicinal.
Will take a photo of what i mean tomorrow, may not be worth buying just for this though…..
This is not a recommendation but just to show what i mean. Just got this off amazon…..
Google thermocouple k type meter
Proster Digital Thermometer Dual Channel Thermocouple Thermometer with Two K- type Thermocouples Temperature Meter Gauge with LED Backlight for K/J/T/E/R/S/N Thermocouple https://amzn.eu/d/8PzmcdY
Ade Smith. ACS Evo Leva v2. Kafatek Flat max 2, ssw 2024. Mazzer Philos, Craig Lyn HG-1 prime., WW key mk1.
yeah thanks everyone for the input, I think one of the mistake I’ve been making is that by doing substitutions I could never stick to the beans I have found great for myself, I think I will change my approach and buy beans and stick to those that suit me,with some I had good results.
LMSC - I can’t see Guatemala there?
MediumRoastSteam No.
I don’t know who the roaster is. I always find blends are difficult to deal with especially if one is less soluble (ex: Peru) than the other.
MuddyOne I think I will change my approach and buy beans and stick to those that suit me,with some I had good results.
There are 3 distinctive issues here:
1) your machine is overheating (but you can just quick flush until this gets sorted). You need to contact the retailer for that, something we can’t help you with. I am unsure how you’ll measure the temperature of the coffee with a thermocouple and no other equipment meaningfully, but I’m sure @Adrianmsmith will help you here (I’m curious to know that one);
2) your puck is deteriorating halfway through, as per your video. I think your coffee is stale.there’s only one way to find out, already discussed.
3) you may not like the coffee from SquareMile, specially red brick. Personally, in my view, that is a great crowd pleaser. But taste is taste. And this is totally unrelated to the issues 1 and 2.
LMSC MediumRoastSteam No.
I don’t know who the roaster is. I always find blends are difficult to deal with especially if one is less soluble (ex: Peru) than the other
I’m confused. Jake says Redbrick and Guatemala in the same post. You then reply to my post, and send a link for said coffee (the roaster is square mile) but there’s no Guatemalan coffee as part of that blend. So I don’t know what you are trying to tell me 🤷♂️. Redbrick is a rather traditional blend from SquareMile roasters (think James Hoffman owns it, or used to) 😊
MediumRoastSteam I’m confused. Jake says Redbrick and Guatemala in the same post. You then reply to my post, and send a link for said coffee (the roaster is square mile) but there’s no Guatemalan coffee as part of that blend. So I don’t know what you are trying to tell me 🤷♂️. Redbrick is a rather traditional blend from SquareMile roasters (think James Hoffman owns it, or used to)
Nothing.
I have no idea if @MuddyOne’s RedBricks is from SquareMiles. Their blend origin changes. Their current offering isn’t Guatemala. I also have no idea why Jake mentioned Guatemala.
Only MO can tell us where did he purchase his coffee from.
If I still have not explained properly, please ignore my post. 😊
LMSC - explained now! 😊👍
Maybe temperature swaying in my room is the issue, Can you elaborate on this advice please?
Assuming I’m buying 1kg bags, I should buy vacuum bags, divide 1kg to four portions( 250g roughly lasts me a week) then take that bag out night before opening and use it .
The square mile been changing their blend and even now currently you can find two different versions on their website displayed ( only one can be purchased the other is not updated photo ) I think this is where confusion comes from
MuddyOne thanks - yeah, I know it’s a seasonal blend and changes through the year. I was more curious about Jake’s comment… maybe when he had it, there was Guatemalan coffee as a component of the blend. Moving on… 😊
If you have been keeping the whole 1 KG in the tin (sorry, I don’t recollect how you keep them), it is a bad idea IMO. Please consider splitting as MRS advised. I don’t buy a KG as I easily get bored; mostly 250g; and, at times 500g which gets vac-ed into two bags.
