Posted Tue Dec 27, 2011, 10:02am Subject: Re: BLACK CAT CLASSIC ESPRESSO
OLIVER1 Said:
Tim Eggers and JonR10, thanks for the vote of confidence. You hit the nail on the head, and I am not selling anything, just simply stating what I am, and have been, using. Was looking for suggestions on beans to try.
Interestingly, there were a lot of thoughtful replies (in fact I am going to pick up some Toscano this afternoon that was recommended by joatmon).
In your opinion, would different blends (ground the same way) taste different on different machines?
Late to the party here, but I'll add that IF there were those "follow up" posts from NEW members also extolling the virtues of Jack's usual blend (PR) THEN I would be suspicious. That is the sort of thing that raises the flag for me.
Back on topic, it was mentioned that BC was the "house" espresso for Mark. That was MANY years ago, actually when I first joined. As I recall, as recently as last year BC was actually a single origin(?),or melange of the same coffee roasted to different degree?
Anyhow, I 2nd the recommendation for Red Bird espresso, for taste and value, and it's easy to pull. Same for Paradise Roaster's "Nuevo Espresso." I also purchase 5#'s at a time, and freeze. I notice no deleterious results from doing so.
In closing, I would urge that we all respect each other's opinions, agree or not. Personal attack has no place here.
EDXIT: this is not to in any way disparage Black Cat. Intellegentsia (sp?) is a legendary roaster, and continues to be so.
Just about always, and there is (probably) no such thing as "ground the same way."
Jack, do you know the "Four M's of Espresso"? The Macinazione is the correct grinding of a coffee blend, the Miscela is the coffee blend, the Macchina is the espresso machine, and the Mano is the skilled hand of the barista. Even if the coffee is the same, roasted on the same date, the grinders will be different, for example, between, your house and mine; the machines will be different; and, certainly, the "hand" will be different. Even if we both had Silvias and Rockys, the grinder and the machine would still be different.
At some point, hopefully, you'll have a chance to try the same coffee/blend at someone else's house, or even pull the shots yourself at someone else's house, and you'll taste for yourself. But -- yes -- the shots of Redbird I pull at home on my Elektra T1 on a Mahlkönig K30 Vario grinder taste different than the shots I pull at my office on my La Valentina using a Cimbali MaxHybrid . . .
OLIVER1 Senior Member Joined: 27 Dec 2011 Posts: 26 Location: GREER, SC Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Rancilio Silvia Grinder: Rancilio Rocky
Posted Tue Dec 27, 2011, 11:00am Subject: Re: BLACK CAT CLASSIC ESPRESSO
Wow, this whole thread has been enlightening for me and I think I'll have to drop my experience level down a notch or two compared to you guys. I'd have a lot of selling to do to convince my wife to let me buy an Elektra T1 on a Mahlkönig K30 Vario grinder or a La Valentina and Cimbali MaxHybrid .
Having invested that much in your equipment do you also do your own maintenance? So far I have been able to replace my group head gasket; steam wand, and steam knob. The pawl on my Rocky doser doesn;t always advance so I have to give it a little nudge to get my dose.
Been an interesting morning and thanks to all for their inputs.
Posted Tue Dec 27, 2011, 11:03am Subject: Re: BLACK CAT CLASSIC ESPRESSO
OLIVER1 Said:
Received 3 different Black Cat beans for Christmas and did the Black Cat Classic Espresso for breakfast this morning. Was slightly dissappointed. I would say it was maybe marginally better than the Organic Fair Trade Espresso from Porto Rico and the length of time that the crema stayed on top of the cup was shorter by a factor of 2-3 times for the Black Cat.
I am very curious about the date code on the bags of Black Cat - I have seen fresh ordered online (is good in my opinion) and I have seen bags on the shelf at my local (W-S, NC) Fresh Market as old as two months out from roast. This age will cause the type of weak crema shot you describe.
Also, the freezer is your friend once you have a fresh sample - a quick search will find more than you ever wanted to know about freezing beans!
I chew coffee beans with my teeth while gargling with 195 F water to enjoy coffee. What is this "coffee brewing" device you speak of?
JasonBrandtLewis Senior Member Joined: 9 Dec 2005 Posts: 6,098 Location: Berkeley, CA Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Elektra T1 - La Valentina -... Grinder: Mahlkönig K30 Vario -... Vac Pot: Yama 5-cup Drip: CCD, Chemex Roaster: No, no, not another...
Posted Tue Dec 27, 2011, 11:54am Subject: Re: BLACK CAT CLASSIC ESPRESSO
Babbie's Rule* of Fifteens: -- Green (unroasted) coffee beans should be roasted within 15 months of harvest, or they go stale. -- Roasted coffee beans should be ground within 15 days of roast, or they go stale. -- Ground coffee should be used within 15 minutes of being ground, or it goes stale.
Your choice.
Cheers, Jason
* OK, so there are very few hard-and-fast "rules" -- more like "rules-of-thumb."
Posted Tue Dec 27, 2011, 11:57am Subject: Re: BLACK CAT CLASSIC ESPRESSO
Might age a little slower but yes - they will not be close to peak for espresso even vac sealed. The shots will produce a thin crema layer or pull very fast
Rocky and Silvia is a decent combination - I have made very good espresso with similar equipment. The grinder is not stepless so you are limited with out the ability to adjust fine enough to maybe get a little better shot, but even if you could dial in the old beans perfectly the shot will never taste as good as 5 - 10ish days post roast beans.
I use a stepped grinder often enough and I find the fresher the beans are, the less I have to tweak settings on the grinder once dialed in.
I chew coffee beans with my teeth while gargling with 195 F water to enjoy coffee. What is this "coffee brewing" device you speak of?
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