Hi Audrey, Illy, Peets and anything else of that ilk are, by nature, stale. That will reduce the amount of crema significantly (although it's worth notingin itself that crema production is not *always* a sign of a quality shot).
You need to start with coffee roasted within that last 14 days (preferably 7) and consumed within a maximum of another 14 days. If the coffee does not have a roast date on it, assume it's stale. The Breville grinder will barely be adequate for espresso. It's not just about getting fine enough, it's about consistency of particle size - something which only comes with quality grinders. It may just make it... I hope so for your sake! Sorry if I sound negative, but, the most important thing for fine coffee is the source material (the coffee), and for espresso, the grinder is at least as important as the espresso machine. Cheers Neil A. Blue Mountains, Oz http://minstrygrounds.net.au - A blog about selecting, roasting and drinking fine coffee __________________________ -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of AM Sent: Thursday, 30 July 2009 7:11 AM To: Brewtus Subject: Re: water pressure and creating crema Thanks for your reply Neil. I use Illy, Peets, some store bought, and try beans from small roasting houses in and around the Bay Area. I am not familiar with the roasting process and how long it takes.... but what I buy locally I am told is fresh.... and the likes of Illy are vacuum packed. I buy the beans in small quantities half a pound at a time and I buy it weekly. I keep them sealed but do not refrigerate or freeze them. I recently bought a burr grinder from Breville. It has about twenty different settings and I am currently playing with the extra fine/ espresso grind. I will check out the link you sent. Thanks! Audrey On Jul 26, 3:03 pm, "Neil Atwood" <[email protected]> wrote: > Two things: > > Beans and Grinder > > Beans: > What beans are you using? When were they roasted? How long do you keep them? > > Grinder: > What grinder do you have? > > Regards > > Neil A. > Blue Mountains, Ozhttp://minstrygrounds.net.au- A blog about selecting, roasting and drinking > fine coffee > __________________________ > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf > > Of AM > Sent: Monday, 27 July 2009 3:42 AM > To: Brewtus > Subject: water pressure and creating crema > > I have had Brewtus for almost three years. I have been happy with it > except for the fact that I can't get a consistent crema when pulling a > shot. I have gotten a burr grinder, measured out beans (14grams), > timed the shot, tamped to the point of adding it to my daily workout, > opened the machine to tighten bolts....offered to make sacrifices to > the kona gods.... Could not get any real help from WLL..... > > I think that the water pressure coming out of the porta filter is too > low. I have tried to change the pressure via that screw gauge behind > the drainage tray but the crema level does not improve. Any advice on > how to get the water to flow through the porta filter any slower? I > want my crema! > > Thanks for your suggestions! > > AM --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Brewtus" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/brewtus?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
