David M wrote:
>
> Tamyka Bell wrote:
> > You can get a decent espresso machine for a few hundred dollars. Then it
> > only costs you about $25 a kilo for beans, and your average coffee costs
> > about 50c, so if you drink a few cups a day... woohoo! (Yes, I have a
> > small one at home, our office has a big one, and my best mate has gone
> > commercial.)
>
> Agree that the espresso machine is important but the most important are
> the roaster and grinder.
>
> The roaster need not be expensive (a $20 popcorn machine works fine)
> but you've got to have a good ear and a bit of practice to get it
> right. The roast should only be between 24 hours and about 3 days old
> imho. I now have a "Cafe Rosto" that's a bit easier to get right.
>
> And the grinder is critical. I set mine (Saeco MC2002) up so that's
> it's fine enough that having rejected the 1st second's worth, the next
> 17-20 seconds extract 30mm. Longer than about 20-22 seconds always
> tasted burnt to me (La Cimbali Domus).
>
> With the right beans, and my roaster and grinder, I'll bet I can make a
> better espresso with some $200 department store espresso machine than
> at least 75% of espresso I buy in cafes.
>
> Cheers
> David M
So do you return bad coffees? I remember being at a Bne Cafe that had
average coffee, so I always went for a flat white. Then one day I really
wanted a short black and decided to take a chance. It was delicious. It
was the milk they were burning, not the beans.
We get our coffee fresh roasted from the big Merlo shop in the valley.
The grinder was donated by the WBC and goes okay.
Tam