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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

    WAKE UP AND COFFEE

    General Chat
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    • AlexA
      Alex
      IHUK Crew
      Joined:

      Afternoon cafe Cubano

      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • MattM
        Matt
        見習いボス
        Joined:

        That mugs pretty badass.

        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • goosehdG
          goosehd
          Mod Squad
          Joined:

          @Alex Do you put the sugar directly on your tamp/grounds?  The lighting makes it look lighter in your second picture.

          "I don't give a shit what anyone else is doing, we will do what is best for us and our customers" - Giles P. :)

          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • AlexA
            Alex
            IHUK Crew
            Joined:

            First pic is coffee, second pic is coffee with sugar on top, Dennis

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            • AlexA
              Alex
              IHUK Crew
              Joined:

              @Matt:

              That mugs pretty badass.

              Yeah, was a birthday gift from @Olly

              They are a cool roaster in Hackney (where we live in London), who love Harleys and have a decent sense of humour. You may or may not see some collab stuff coming down the pipeline. The copy on their coffee is usually excellent, I'll stick a pack in your next order.

              One of my fave recents ones…

              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • ChapC
                Chap
                見習いボス
                Joined:

                @goosehd:

                @Alex Do you put the sugar directly on your tamp/grounds?  The lighting makes it look lighter in your second picture.

                Yes… need some more info about how you did it as well

                God has blessed you richly, so get down on your knees and thank him. Don’t forget the less fortunate or God will personally kick your ass. I’d love to do it for him, but I can’t be everywhere. Willie Nelson

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                • AlexA
                  Alex
                  IHUK Crew
                  Joined:

                  @Chap I'm still working it out, but getting better…

                  This one was 15g coffee, into the basket and distributed then very lightly tamped. 4g sugar on top, distributed then tamped fully. Shot pulled as normal

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                  • AlexA
                    Alex
                    IHUK Crew
                    Joined:

                    @Alex:

                    I'll stick a pack in your next order.

                    Filter or Espresso, @Matt ?

                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • ChapC
                      Chap
                      見習いボス
                      Joined:

                      @Alex:

                      First pic is coffee, second pic is coffee with sugar on top, Dennis

                      Can’t the sugar caramelize and plug the holes?

                      God has blessed you richly, so get down on your knees and thank him. Don’t forget the less fortunate or God will personally kick your ass. I’d love to do it for him, but I can’t be everywhere. Willie Nelson

                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • goosehdG
                        goosehd
                        Mod Squad
                        Joined:

                        My thought as well.

                        "I don't give a shit what anyone else is doing, we will do what is best for us and our customers" - Giles P. :)

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                        • goosehdG
                          goosehd
                          Mod Squad
                          Joined:

                          …and followup.  How do you like using a naked portafilter?  Is it easier to use?

                          "I don't give a shit what anyone else is doing, we will do what is best for us and our customers" - Giles P. :)

                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • AlexA
                            Alex
                            IHUK Crew
                            Joined:

                            @goosehd:

                            Is it easier to use?

                            No, but you can see how badly you fucked up the last shot..

                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • AlexA
                              Alex
                              IHUK Crew
                              Joined:

                              @Chap:

                              @Alex:

                              First pic is coffee, second pic is coffee with sugar on top, Dennis

                              Can’t the sugar caramelize and plug the holes?

                              Doesn't seem to in my experience thus far, but I'm no barista

                              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • ChapC
                                Chap
                                見習いボス
                                Joined:

                                @Alex:

                                @goosehd:

                                Is it easier to use?

                                No, but you can see how badly you fucked up the last shot..

                                Thought about getting one for my Olympia…

                                @Alex:

                                @Chap:

                                @Alex:

                                First pic is coffee, second pic is coffee with sugar on top, Dennis

                                Can’t the sugar caramelize and plug the holes?

                                Doesn't seem to in my experience thus far, but I'm no barista

                                OK will have to give it a try…

                                God has blessed you richly, so get down on your knees and thank him. Don’t forget the less fortunate or God will personally kick your ass. I’d love to do it for him, but I can’t be everywhere. Willie Nelson

                                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • goosehdG
                                  goosehd
                                  Mod Squad
                                  Joined:

                                  Thanks Alex!  Something to try as I get better at this.

                                  "I don't give a shit what anyone else is doing, we will do what is best for us and our customers" - Giles P. :)

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                                  • weftyarnW
                                    weftyarn
                                    啓蒙家
                                    Joined:

                                    That sugar in the basket shot is something I have to try just because I’m curious how it’ll turn out 😃

                                    Bottomless portafilters are incredibly helpful to learn about tamping, channeling, etc…
                                    Aaaand, I always use the bottomless when friends stop by to pretend I actually know what I’m doing 😂

                                    For everyday use I find them less versatile, as you can’t split shots
                                    and a bad tamp coffee squirt is something I don’t want to have on my white tees

                                    Use it or lose it.

                                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • J
                                      Jens
                                      Haraki san Student
                                      Joined:

                                      @Chap  and @goosehd - did you go for the Cremina original or the SL model? I think I am about to pull the trigger also  😎

                                      /Jens

                                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • goosehdG
                                        goosehd
                                        Mod Squad
                                        Joined:

                                        @Jens I went for the Cremina Original.  It’s beautiful, very easy to use, and I like the feel of “pulling” my shot.  I don’t know if I would get the pressure gauge though as I pay more attention to the flow coming out of it than the pressure I’m pulling at.

                                        I’m still very new with this machine so you should take the pressure thing cautiously as it may become more useful with time and experience.

                                        "I don't give a shit what anyone else is doing, we will do what is best for us and our customers" - Giles P. :)

                                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • weftyarnW
                                          weftyarn
                                          啓蒙家
                                          Joined:

                                          Speaking of bottomless and learning from it:

                                          Tamp looking good, but let’s see what the bottomless tells us…

                                          Almost perfectly even extraction, BUT

                                          • slightly right-shifted extraction in the center
                                          • probably too densely packed puck in the left center
                                          • extraction on the sides looks perfect -> indicating the tamp was level

                                          Looking good after a few seconds, no squirting etc…
                                          Still slightly right-shifted center though

                                          10 seconds into the shot: One stream of coffee, still no squirts, still slightly right-shifted
                                          The tamp was not perfect, but absolutely doable and not „bad for the extraction“.
                                          I could have done better with distributing the grind in the center of the puck.

                                          Final result: 17.5g in, 40g out, 33sec
                                          Full body, well balanced, chocolaty
                                          Maybe a tad bitter / overextracted

                                          Options: Reduce time / brew ratio, Grind coarser, Reduce temp

                                          What I would do: Reduce temp (by 1deg), because I was absolutely happy with the body of the shot and don’t want to change anything with the grind / brew ratio.

                                          Use it or lose it.

                                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • goosehdG
                                            goosehd
                                            Mod Squad
                                            Joined:

                                            @weftyarn My hat is off to you!!  Very useful information and approach to the results.  I see that your ratio is 1: 2.3 and often hear that 1:2 is ideal.  Do you find that the ratio is dependent on the beans used and your overall desired taste that you're looking for?

                                            Fantastic pictures and information!! Thank you  🙂

                                            "I don't give a shit what anyone else is doing, we will do what is best for us and our customers" - Giles P. :)

                                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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