I really appreciate how informative your videos are. The information is very easy to follow and I don't have to go back and forth from videos and Google to find out what certain terms mean. Thank you SO MUCH for making this learning process simpler for me!
So I bought a bag of coffee beans. Peet's brand French Roast coffee. The beans were dark, very fragrant, and a little oily so I thought this would be a good choice since I have yet to brew an espresso with crema. I started with salt-sized grains and then worked my way down to very small granules and still have no crema! The water temperature in the carafe was roughly 180 F and my espresso machine doesn't allow me to adjust the temperature. I have a Mr. Coffee® Steam Espresso & Cappuccino Maker - ECM160-NP. I still get a densely packed puck when the brew is finished so I'm not sure how to troubleshoot this any further :( Do only certain roasts/coffees produce crema?
Jesi June not to be insulting but what do you expect for $40? Sometimes you just get what you pay for. If you were able to get good espresso out of that there would be no need for the machines that cost in excess of 20k and those expensive coffee chains would go out of business. Jura and Gaggia as well as other brands make good machines for home use but will still cost a few thousand unless you can find them used or refurbished. Good luck! If you or anyone else can find a machine for $40 that produces a quality espresso please let me know.
I get what you're saying, though sometimes price isn't always such a big factor in a quality item. I'm sure that sounds strange, maybe even stupid, but I have experienced that throughout the years. In some cases the more expensive option is the better option, but as some people would say, crema is just what some people prefer or enjoy. It isn't a necessity in making a good espresso. That being said, no costly espresso maker is worth that much unless you have the dough and a serious need for crema. I'll continue to test it out and tweak things here and there to see if I can get more out of it than I already have, just for giggles really. Ultimately, I don't run a coffee shop so who cares lol :)
Jesi June I know this is about 2 years late, but I felt that your question deserved a high quality answer. First off, and most importantly, the coffee: If you’re buying a bag of coffee from a large coffee retailer like Peet’s, it’s unlikely that you’re getting it fresh enough. Typically, you’ll want to look for coffee that is between 6-14 days off of the roast. If you buy Peet’s, Starbucks, or any coffee from the grocery store, you’ll be getting coffee that is months old. Coffee that old won’t produce crema, as there is no CO2 left in the coffee. A great company to look into is Counter Culture Coffee. I order their coffee online, and it comes to me 3 days after it’s been roasted. It definitely will be more expensive than Peet’s, but this is an area where you definitely cannot cheap out, as it’s one of the *only* two ingredients in coffee. Secondly, that machine you reference doesn’t actually have a pump in it to provide the necessary pressure (9 Bars/130 psi). Without that pressure, crema cannot be produced, as crema is produced by CO2 dissolving in the liquid when it’s under pressure. When the liquid comes out of the spouts and returns to ambient air pressure, that dissolved CO2 will rush out of the espresso, forming crema. Without a mechanical pump or a manual lever, crema just isn’t physically possible. There are plenty of machines out there at a budget price point, but ensure that it has a vibration or rotary pump so that you get the results you want 😊. Also, just as a sidebar, with espresso machines, you really do get what you pay for up to about $6,000-7,000 or so. That said, the grinder is more important. I always recommend to spend 75% of your budget on the grinder and the other 25% on your machine. I’m assuming you have a grinder, as it’s absolutely impossible to make good espresso without one.
Great tips. I’ve been pulling shots now for 6 days and appreciate the advice. Is there a right ratio of crema immediately after the pull vs say 30-45 seconds after? I usually get a nice crema, maybe 75%, but then it fades to about 25-30%. Does that sound right? How many different coffees did you go through before you found your favorite? How did you decide on where to get your coffee, there are so many options I don’t know where to start to narrow.
Good videos but some of the suggestions seem wrong. For example the first thing to do if you over-extract is not to lower the water temperature... you should check your grind and weight.
the bitter/sour problem I thought is because of the quality and roast of the beans. too dark makes it bitter which most coffee places mask with sugar, too light there's a lot of flavor but it's very acidic
My problem is My machine is the type where the pressure from the hot water is what "cranks the espresso out". I don't believe there is a pump body as the water is added directly into the heating chamber. My shots lack this creme layer you discuss, could this be fixed or should I get a different machine?
I think this guide is pretty good, but for a beginners guide it's kind of weird that it's centered around the idea that everyone has an expensive machine with temperaturecontrol and such.
Doctor Voctor lol. None of that machinery is required. I'm Cuban, my ppl have been making espresso for centuries. All we use is a stove top kettle, and a small mixing cup with a spoon to create the "crema". Which to us is called espuma.
Good God! Do you mean to suggest anyone would ever steep tea for 10 whole minutes?!?! What kind of poor riff raff would deign to taste such an abhorrent beverage!
That's exactly the point Chris made in the video - if you steep your tea for 10 minutes instead of 4 (for example), you will likely be extracting far too much from the tea and will experience a fairly bad flavor in the cup. Likewise, if you overextract an espresso, it will generally be indicated by bitterness and astringency with an overall imbalance of flavor. So, to correct for those flavors, you want to dial back your extraction somehow, perhaps by running less water through the puck or reducing extraction temperature. Hope that helps clear things up!
That was very helpful and informative. Thank you!
Love it , love it. Very good explanation. You do know what you are talking about. Thank you
You picked up great questions and provided excellent solutions. Thanks a lot for the video
Part 1 & 2 very well done and said!
These are so helpful!
I really appreciate how informative your videos are. The information is very easy to follow and I don't have to go back and forth from videos and Google to find out what certain terms mean. Thank you SO MUCH for making this learning process simpler for me!
We're so glad we can help, Jesi! Thanks for watching!
So I bought a bag of coffee beans. Peet's brand French Roast coffee. The beans were dark, very fragrant, and a little oily so I thought this would be a good choice since I have yet to brew an espresso with crema. I started with salt-sized grains and then worked my way down to very small granules and still have no crema! The water temperature in the carafe was roughly 180 F and my espresso machine doesn't allow me to adjust the temperature. I have a Mr. Coffee® Steam Espresso & Cappuccino Maker - ECM160-NP. I still get a densely packed puck when the brew is finished so I'm not sure how to troubleshoot this any further :( Do only certain roasts/coffees produce crema?
Jesi June not to be insulting but what do you expect for $40? Sometimes you just get what you pay for. If you were able to get good espresso out of that there would be no need for the machines that cost in excess of 20k and those expensive coffee chains would go out of business. Jura and Gaggia as well as other brands make good machines for home use but will still cost a few thousand unless you can find them used or refurbished. Good luck! If you or anyone else can find a machine for $40 that produces a quality espresso please let me know.
I get what you're saying, though sometimes price isn't always such a big factor in a quality item. I'm sure that sounds strange, maybe even stupid, but I have experienced that throughout the years. In some cases the more expensive option is the better option, but as some people would say, crema is just what some people prefer or enjoy. It isn't a necessity in making a good espresso. That being said, no costly espresso maker is worth that much unless you have the dough and a serious need for crema. I'll continue to test it out and tweak things here and there to see if I can get more out of it than I already have, just for giggles really. Ultimately, I don't run a coffee shop so who cares lol :)
Jesi June I know this is about 2 years late, but I felt that your question deserved a high quality answer.
First off, and most importantly, the coffee: If you’re buying a bag of coffee from a large coffee retailer like Peet’s, it’s unlikely that you’re getting it fresh enough. Typically, you’ll want to look for coffee that is between 6-14 days off of the roast. If you buy Peet’s, Starbucks, or any coffee from the grocery store, you’ll be getting coffee that is months old. Coffee that old won’t produce crema, as there is no CO2 left in the coffee. A great company to look into is Counter Culture Coffee. I order their coffee online, and it comes to me 3 days after it’s been roasted. It definitely will be more expensive than Peet’s, but this is an area where you definitely cannot cheap out, as it’s one of the *only* two ingredients in coffee.
Secondly, that machine you reference doesn’t actually have a pump in it to provide the necessary pressure (9 Bars/130 psi). Without that pressure, crema cannot be produced, as crema is produced by CO2 dissolving in the liquid when it’s under pressure. When the liquid comes out of the spouts and returns to ambient air pressure, that dissolved CO2 will rush out of the espresso, forming crema. Without a mechanical pump or a manual lever, crema just isn’t physically possible. There are plenty of machines out there at a budget price point, but ensure that it has a vibration or rotary pump so that you get the results you want 😊. Also, just as a sidebar, with espresso machines, you really do get what you pay for up to about $6,000-7,000 or so. That said, the grinder is more important. I always recommend to spend 75% of your budget on the grinder and the other 25% on your machine. I’m assuming you have a grinder, as it’s absolutely impossible to make good espresso without one.
Wow, very practical tutorial. ThX !
Thanks for doing this! :3
You got a Bill Evans vibe, thanks for the vids
Thanks. Great
Great tips. I’ve been pulling shots now for 6 days and appreciate the advice. Is there a right ratio of crema immediately after the pull vs say 30-45 seconds after? I usually get a nice crema, maybe 75%, but then it fades to about 25-30%. Does that sound right? How many different coffees did you go through before you found your favorite? How did you decide on where to get your coffee, there are so many options I don’t know where to start to narrow.
Good videos but some of the suggestions seem wrong. For example the first thing to do if you over-extract is not to lower the water temperature... you should check your grind and weight.
the bitter/sour problem I thought is because of the quality and roast of the beans.
too dark makes it bitter which most coffee places mask with sugar, too light there's a lot of flavor but it's very acidic
that's not to say I don't think you can burn your grounds if your water is to hot
My problem is My machine is the type where the pressure from the hot water is what "cranks the espresso out". I don't believe there is a pump body as the water is added directly into the heating chamber. My shots lack this creme layer you discuss, could this be fixed or should I get a different machine?
What about sugar 🤔..?
Can anyone tell me if 18 grams is 1 or 2 One oz. shots? Please I've tried to learn anything I can. Lol
I think this guide is pretty good, but for a beginners guide it's kind of weird that it's centered around the idea that everyone has an expensive machine with temperaturecontrol and such.
Doctor Voctor lol. None of that machinery is required. I'm Cuban, my ppl have been making espresso for centuries. All we use is a stove top kettle, and a small mixing cup with a spoon to create the "crema". Which to us is called espuma.
Exactly what I was thinking...
They are selling the machine he is using which is why it is centered around it.
Good God! Do you mean to suggest anyone would ever steep tea for 10 whole minutes?!?! What kind of poor riff raff would deign to taste such an abhorrent beverage!
That's exactly the point Chris made in the video - if you steep your tea for 10 minutes instead of 4 (for example), you will likely be extracting far too much from the tea and will experience a fairly bad flavor in the cup. Likewise, if you overextract an espresso, it will generally be indicated by bitterness and astringency with an overall imbalance of flavor. So, to correct for those flavors, you want to dial back your extraction somehow, perhaps by running less water through the puck or reducing extraction temperature. Hope that helps clear things up!
Nah I never stop steeping my tea. The bag stays in until the cups gone and it's deliciousness
@@Jchronos1 haha i leave the bag in till the end thought i was the only one!! This is emotional
@@Jchronos1 🤣🤣🤣