One further step that really did give an improved flavour for us was getting a grinder. We bought a Breville Dose Control during a Briscoes sale. Our coffee maker is not Breville but the control over the grind size and duration makes it very easy and repeatable.

I look forward to reading any updates on this, time to start trying different coffees ☕️

[–] Dave@lemmy.nz 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It arrived! In fact it quite possibly had already arrived when I wrote the post that I was waiting, I was expecting some sort of delivery notification that I didn't get.

Now I've worked out I have no idea what I'm doing.

I use a double sized coffee thingy which holds about as many coffee grinds as I used in my aeropress, but the flavour is weak. The shot of coffee I get (without adding any extra water) is about the strength of a long black you'd get from a cafe.

From the instruction book I think this means the grind isn't fine enough? I think I'll need to do some experimenting.

I also had a go at frothing milk but also have no idea what I'm doing there. I think I need to go looking for a beginner guide.

[–] FloofahNZ@lemmy.nz 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Espresso does need a fine grind, the hot water is only there for around 15 seconds, and the fine grind is needed to give that a full flavour.

Can I suggest you get some espresso grind and work from there. Fill the head with the ground coffee and compress it quite firmly. After compress it’ll leave a small gap (few mm) at the top of the head. Use more coffee next time if the gap is too big. The double head will give 2 shots at a time. Either combine them into a single cup, or use 2 cups with one shot each.

I never use the milk frother, just splash a dash of oat milk onto the top.

[–] Dave@lemmy.nz 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The instructions that came with the machine warn about not using too fine of a grind, so I think I underground it. I've been grinding more and more and it's getting better but I think I need it much more ground up than the instructions implied. They did give guidance on how long it should take before the coffee starts coming through, which helps.

I will order some pre-ground espresso to see what its like, to get a better sense. I don't think I'm ready to spend $400 on a grinder yet 😆, I'll stick with the cheaper one I have and maybe treat myself when my birthday and a big sale coincide.

[–] FloofahNZ@lemmy.nz 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

If the grind is too fine, the espresso machine won’t have enough pressure or time to force the hot water through. On my setup, I had to experiment to find the optimal grind to suit my machine.

Whatever you end up doing, it’ll taste much better than 99% of coffee shops.

[–] Dave@lemmy.nz 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Haha if I end up making a coffee that tastes better than cafe coffee I'll be very impressed!

[–] FloofahNZ@lemmy.nz 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Don’t underestimate your power as a barista!!

[–] Dave@lemmy.nz 2 points 3 months ago

Haha I've had about 5 coffees this morning and they are getting better!