Posted Wed Jan 16, 2008, 11:18am Subject: Best **Gulp*** don't yell or "diss" me, ground espresso for a Saeco Aroma SS
One of these days--I will invest in a good grinder. In the mean time I do not own one. I have heard all the pros about grinding your own beans. Please if someone could just not get upset with me & try to answer this if they can: I have a Saeco Aroma SS espresso machine. I have tried a number of so-called ground for espresso grinds that seem rather coarse. It appears that with my particular machine--for it to taste the best; the coffee was be ground to a more powderly texture. 1. Can a more powdery texture clog & end up wrecking your machine? 2. Can anyone recommend an espresso that works well with this machine(already ground)? Thanks in advance.
Posted Wed Jan 16, 2008, 1:27pm Subject: Re: Best **Gulp*** don't yell or "diss" me, ground espresso for a Saeco Aroma SS
Hola
Welcome to coffee geek.
Sorry I’m not here to answer your post about the grind; sure someone knowledgeable and capable will come along and help you out soon.
I saw your post title and wanted to say that, please you don’t have to be afraid of asking away any questions here. We are a friendly bunch; no one on this site is going to yell, make fun of you or diss you because you ask a question.
We are here to help one another, that‘s what makes this forum informative, friendly and fun.
So sit back enjoy and ask away.
Michael.
Ps: I came on this site 1 year and 4 days ago, still learning and and having fun.
What ever machine you choose...Enjoy and have fun...Learn and share the experience.
Posted Wed Jan 16, 2008, 1:46pm Subject: Re: Best **Gulp*** don't yell or "diss" me, ground espresso for a Saeco Aroma SS
I used to own a Saeco Aroma. I used it with a non-pressurized PF. It needs a very fine grind. I find that it needs finer grind than my Silvia.
If you buy your beans from a local roaster/coffee shop, ask them to grind a tad finer than the usual espresso grind. You'll need to experiment with the grind until you find a setting that works with your Aroma the best.
Hopefully you have a good local roaster near you that'll grind their beans at different settings for you to try.
Bex Senior Member Joined: 11 Dec 2007 Posts: 11 Location: VA Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: Gaggia Carezza Grinder: Gaggia MDF
Posted Wed Jan 16, 2008, 2:21pm Subject: Re: Best **Gulp*** don't yell or "diss" me, ground espresso for a Saeco Aroma SS
You could do a lot worse than ordering pre-ground Black Cat from Intelligentsia Coffee. The price is reasonable and at least you know that the coffee will arrive fresh.
TrailRunR Senior Member Joined: 7 Feb 2007 Posts: 76 Location: Western Massachusetts, USA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Rancilio Silvia w/PID (Past:... Grinder: Mazzer Mini (Past: Baratza... Vac Pot: Nope Drip: None Roaster: I wish
Posted Wed Jan 16, 2008, 2:38pm Subject: Re: Best **Gulp*** don't yell or "diss" me, ground espresso for a Saeco Aroma SS
Can a more powdery texture clog & end up wrecking your machine?
No it won't wreck the machine. The most that could happen if the grind were so fine that the pump couldn't push the water through. Try a finer grind, you will probably taste the difference.
I second the "Black Cat", one of my favorites. Unless you have a local roaster that you are sure sells fresh roasted beans you will be astonished what a blend from a reliable source will taste like. Nice! There are a lot of good roasters that sell on line and will grind to your request, check them out.
Posted Wed Jan 16, 2008, 4:05pm Subject: Re: Best **Gulp*** don't yell or "diss" me, ground espresso for a Saeco Aroma SS
Hi Linda,
Welcome to the forum. I'm thinking that the "espresso" coffee which you have was intended for what you will find called a steam toy on these forums. Those machines are halfway between a drip and a pump machine and they take a coarser grind. While still not ideal pre-grinding coffee is less bad when the grind is coarse.
Right now the issue is to make the best of what you have. My suggestion is to get a small apothecary (SP?) jar which can be sealed. Go to a good local coffee shop and ask them to grind for your machine and put it into the jar right there. Keep track of the grind setting. Buy only what you will consume in a couple of days. Try the coffee. Time the shot. If it is much faster than 25 seconds get finer grind next time. If the time is too long get a coarser grind next time.
Hopefully you will be able to get a suitable grinder soon.
fancy_pilot Senior Member Joined: 10 Oct 2007 Posts: 81 Location: Iowa Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Saeco Classico Grinder: Gaggia MDF
Posted Wed Jan 16, 2008, 6:45pm Subject: Re: Best **Gulp*** don't yell or "diss" me, ground espresso for a Saeco Aroma SS
Don't worry about the 25 second thing with the pressurized portafilter. Saeco actually touts that the pressurized portafilter can make a relatively decent shot in 12 seconds with it.
The_Mighty_Bean Senior Member Joined: 24 Feb 2006 Posts: 465 Location: Bowie, MD Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: "Beauty" (the gentle and... Grinder: Gi-normous Rossi RR45; 100... Vac Pot: Have my eye on a Yama Drip: French press purist, have a... Roaster: Hairdryer and a wire whisk....
Posted Wed Jan 16, 2008, 7:53pm Subject: Re: Best **Gulp*** don't yell or "diss" me, ground espresso for a Saeco Aroma SS
Since you are working with preground, you are sacrificing loads of flavor and texture to oxygenation of the beans, given the massive surface area that is exposed upon grinding. So you want to absolutely minimize that.
For $10, pick up a Reynolds' vac- sealer from the grocery store, and buy a couple packs of 1/4 lb bags to go with it. Immediately upon opening your sealed pack of Black Cat or whatever, partition it into 8-10 bags, ziplocking each one IMMEDIATELY. It's preground, so within 1 min of opening the bag you've already got some degradation in flavor. Once they are all sealed as quickly as possible, throw them into the freezer to slow the degassing. Then, one by one, you take em out and vac-seal em nice and tight. The whole process should take you under 10 min and make a difference in your end product.
When you want to make coffee, take out a bag, give it 5 min to defrost. When you're done with it , reseal it, re-vac it and put it back in the freezer.
That process will best retain flavor in your espresso, and the vac-sealing kit will remain extremely useful for keeping whole beans fresh, when you have a grinder.
Hopefully you will get a new grinder sooner rather than later, but if not, this technique can be adapted so that you sort your coffee into individualized, single-serve vac-sealed and frozen portions, and never re-expose to the air any coffee that you are not planning to use immediately. You just need a little experience to know what a good single-serve "dose" for your machine is. You will find that it varies, depending on the type of preground coffee you use- every blend acts a bit differently.
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