The Off Topic Topic

[Josquius]

Find an Italian

[Barrister]

I bought an espresso machine today. I have zero idea how to use it.

Suggestions so I don't royally fuck it up?

Youtube

[Admiral Yi]

I worked an espresso machine when I was a waiter, it's not rocket science.

First you need espresso ground coffee, which I don't know where to get, or a home espresso grinder, which I don't know where to get.

Hook up water or pour it in, plug in the electricity, fill the doohickey that has a handle with coffee grounds, push the start button, out comes espresso.

I was never very good at foaming the milk for cappucino.  Don't know if it was me or the machine.

[Jacob]

I bought an espresso machine today. I have zero idea how to use it.

Suggestions so I don't royally fuck it up?

As BB said, youtube.

I did make a lot of espresso back when I worked at the movie theatre years ago. Here's how I'd do it:

- grind the beans into the portafilter.
- pad the ground beans down to pack them a bit and create a flat top.
- insert the portafilter and run the water through, collecting the espresso.
- remove the used beans and clean the portafilter.

If you're steaming milk:

- turn on the steamer briefly to eject old collected liquid.
- insert the steamer into the milk, and steam the milk.
- to create foam, place the nozzle right at the surface to mix air and milk at the edge of the container. To just heat the milk, place the nozzle in deeper.
- when you're done, turn the nozzle off, then on again to eject any collected milk. Wipe the nozzle down.

... but youtube can show you how to do it.

[Barrister]

Seriously - you can find directions on youtube to do just about ANYTHING.  It's amazing.

[Jacob]

Oh one more thing... if you're making milk foam, it's easier with fattier milk (whole milk rather than skim).

[merithyn]

I'll be checking out YouTube. Just wondered if any of you had specific "don't do that" or "do that" suggestions.

[Jacob]

I'll be checking out YouTube. Just wondered if any of you had specific "don't do that" or "do that" suggestions.

Main thing is to turn on the steamer after you're done steaming to eject any milk that's been sucked up, if you're using a steamer. The rest is fairly fool proof I think.

[merithyn]

I'll be checking out YouTube. Just wondered if any of you had specific "don't do that" or "do that" suggestions.

Main thing is to turn on the steamer after you're done steaming to eject any milk that's been sucked up, if you're using a steamer. The rest is fairly fool proof I think.

Thanks!

[crazy canuck]

I'll be checking out YouTube. Just wondered if any of you had specific "don't do that" or "do that" suggestions.

removing the filter and rinsing after use is good to do.  There can be a buildup between the filter and the thingie it rests in.  Sometimes I just clean everything off without doing that extra step and it always comes back to bite me.

[mongers]

Today I learnt that:

As a rough guide to the useful life of a pencil sharpener, it is usually advisable to replace your sharpener after it has sharpened around twelve fully used up pencils.

How do you judge that? Are there people out there whole fully use up a pencil before starting another and keep an not of the number used so far?  :-)

From here:
https://www.staedtler.com/uk/en/products/pencils-and-accessories/sharpeners/

[Josquius]

Sounds like the stuff I read about how you should have your roof tiles cleaned every 10-12 years.

... So sayeth professional roof tile cleaners.

[Grey Fox]

I have pencil sharpener that is over 40 years old. I'm not changing it.

[Tamas]

I'll be checking out YouTube. Just wondered if any of you had specific "don't do that" or "do that" suggestions.

I can't help you with milk as I only use mine for espresso, but a few pointers/musings for after you have watched BB's videos:

How much ground coffee you put in within the recommended range doesn't seem to matter too much (so don't sweat it to always put in the exact amount) but of course extremes matter very much. Same with pushing down on the ground coffee with the flattening end of the scoop they give you (well, they gave me). I have found not pushing at all is bad, pushing too hard is bad, but between those two extremes, any measure of a gentle thud will do.

If you are not getting any coffee out I'd first assume you messed up the pushing/not pushing bit.

But I am making it sound way more complex than it actually is.

The type (brand, marked intensity etc) of the coffee used matters a great deal for taste, especially if you drink it black like I do. I'd definitely recommend to experiment, and change it up every once in a while even if you settle on your favourite one, you'll re-start appreciating the nice notes in it when you return.

I'd recommend tasting first black even if you intend to put sugar/sweetener in it. It is very easy to overwhelm the coffee taste with sugar/sweetener. On the flip side of that, if all you are looking for is the quick caffeine hit, then a cheap brand with ample sugar/sweetener will do the job.

[grumbler]

First Rule of Holes.

Yeah, never jump into one Grumbler has begun digging.

2/10