ecoaussie Senior Member Joined: 29 Sep 2011 Posts: 16 Location: Libertyville Expertise: Just starting
Posted Mon Nov 21, 2011, 9:05am Subject: Pre ground coffee and good grinder for less than $250??
Hi, I haven't got a grinder yet. I have a gaggia classic. 2 sets of coffee from Starbucks ground by them have not worked out. Espresso comes out too quick with little or no crema. I know fresh coffee is important. I assume though grind is more important. Is this right?
Anyone have recommendations for pre found coffee that is at or close to a good grind?
Also I'm thinking of a grinder but don't really want to spend $$ yet. Can I get one for $200 to $300 max?? What about the gaggia mdf??
ecoaussie Senior Member Joined: 29 Sep 2011 Posts: 16 Location: Libertyville Expertise: Just starting
Posted Mon Nov 21, 2011, 9:15am Subject: Re: Pre ground coffee and good grinder for less than $250??
Really, didn't know that about stale. The only way Ive got really good crema so far is to use gaggia's perfect crema system which uses a pinhole in the basket and a black pin in the porta thing to help the crema. I guess give higher pressure. Is there any way to know the problem is not the machine?? I am assuming it is not but don't really know.
Joel_B Senior Member Joined: 9 Oct 2007 Posts: 1,823 Location: Pacific NW Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Astra Mega II Grinder: Mazzer SJ, Virtuoso Vac Pot: Yama 5 cup Drip: nope, french press Roaster: Behmor, WP, BBQ drum
Posted Mon Nov 21, 2011, 9:45am Subject: Re: Pre ground coffee and good grinder for less than $250??
ecoaussie Said:
Really, didn't know that about stale. The only way Ive got really good crema so far is to use gaggia's perfect crema system which uses a pinhole in the basket and a black pin in the porta thing to help the crema. I guess give higher pressure.
It isn't really "crema", what you're getting is faux crema. Crema is a pretty complex thing, an emulsion of sorts that occurs from a properly pulled shot of espresso. One of the key factors of crema is CO2. Fresh beans have CO2 and stale beans do not.
ecoaussie Said:
Is there any way to know the problem is not the machine?? I am assuming it is not but don't really know.
Why are you assuming it's the machine? You're using stale preground coffee; that is a KNOWN problem. The likelihood of the issue being with your machine is low, but the problem being with your coffee is a certainty. Fix the most obvious problem first before you jump to conclusions about the machine.
ecoaussie Said:
Hi, I haven't got a grinder yet. I have a gaggia classic. 2 sets of coffee from Starbucks ground by them have not worked out. Espresso comes out too quick with little or no crema. I know fresh coffee is important. I assume though grind is more important. Is this right?
Anyone have recommendations for pre found coffee that is at or close to a good grind?
Freshness and quality grind are both essential ingredients to making good espresso. They are equally important because missing either of those elements will give you bad results.
All preground coffee will be stale. Ground coffee will be stale in a matter of minutes. So I have no recommendations.
As far as the proper grind, what you need is adjustability. Every machine, every coffee will be different and even as the coffee ages, the grind will be different. Not to mention everyones tastes will be different so how you'd pull a shot may not be how I would.
JasonBrandtLewis Senior Member Joined: 9 Dec 2005 Posts: 6,099 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 Mon Nov 21, 2011, 9:53am Subject: Re: Pre ground coffee and good grinder for less than $250??
Babbie's Rule* of Fifteens: -- Green (unroasted) coffee beans should be roasted within 15 months, or they go stale. -- Roasted coffee beans should be ground within 15 days, or they go stale. -- Ground coffee should be used within 15 minutes, or it goes stale.
Your choice.
Cheers, Jason
OK, so there are very few hard-and-fast "rules" -- more like "rules-of-thumb."
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post
Forum Rules: No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards. No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum. No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum. Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards. Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics. Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies. Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies. Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts. Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.
= No New Posts since last visit 