Nice post! Thank you
Yes, that is the roaster I have. As I said I bought two, the difference between the two was a hinged lid, and that meant the catalytic converter,
i/e smoke catcher, fit more snuggly. In the very beginning, after I roasted
two batches of beans....I picked the roaster up to move it and the base
about burnt my hands. When it cooled, I saw 6 small screws on the bottom so I removed them. The entire machine is driven by a belt similar to one you'd find on a vacuum cleaner. This told me running this machine hot would ruin it. I rectified it by running two boards laterally across the bottom, from the rubber legs, this raised the heat unit an inch and a quarter, instead of just the quarter inch of the rubber legs. After that, the
unit ran much cooler, as the heat was able to escape.(so I still have both)
I drink one espresso a day. My partner, will drink 2, but is away 4 mornings of the week, (I send her off with coffee grinds), dare I say, she'd drink gas station station coffee
Thats a nice espresso machine. I have my original Mr. Coffee. It's about 8 years old, they still sell they same model, and I'm very happy with it. It was right around $100 when I bought it, and I thought it would be a good starter machine, and much to my surprise, it has exceeded my expectation.
I wonder if you are burr grinding your beans rested? I read they are best, if ground 24 hours after they've been roasted. I'm on my second Burr grinder.
Zach and Dani had a Burr in the start up kit and that lasted a few years...
Now I have the Black and Decker.
Tamping down the product is important. I pitched that cheap plastic one and bought a nice restauraunt quality scoop/tamper. This helped with applying 30 pounds of pressure. Some say tamping on a slight angle is good too.....but I find when I pull my grounds outs, there is still water
in the grounds holder. Starbucks trains their baristas to empty the grounds cup immediately after making the coffee/espresso......because staining will bring an acidic taste. (I am friendly with a starbucks manager who saves some grounds and used filters for my worms).
Where do you buy your beans and have you purchased any AAA quality
lately? Sweet Maria buy fair trade beans, her prices can be beat (and really, can you complain about a nickel a cup?) I think fair trade is important. Costa Rica, (please don't think Juan Valdez novice readers/=
gas station coffee) Has had an excellent coffee growing season. I love the Costa Rica beans. It's the Zinfindale of coffee. It goes with almost anything, and can be roasted espresso. Smokey though.