#meanderings

Coffee.

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I love my Gaggia base addition. It has a knock out box in that pull out Gaggia emblazoned drawer. This base was given to me recently by a friend and very much appreciated. It also houses the electric grinder.

Coffee can be an addiction in more ways than one. Not simply based upon the need to drink it daily in copious amounts. It can also hold addictive fascination in brewing the perfect cup.

For myself? Recently, coffee drinking can be the simplicity of an instant ‘out of a strange cardboard tube’ choice. Born from finding a lovely little powdered Nescafe Azero Americano Intense on the supermarket shelf. It is a blend of Robusta and Arabica coffee beans. It is a combination of instant and finely ground roasted coffee and has an intense and unusual olfactory addictive aromatic quality. With two small spoonfuls of coarse earthy dark caramelised Demerara sugar it produces a fairly full-bodied drink. It also produces a small layer of crema.

From the Gaggia. Not the instant Nescafé coffee.

Please tap on all the smaller photographs below in the blog to enlarge them.

Mostly though, the day is best served with longer planned processes in the making. Two or three Americanos borne from Gaggia made espresso bases. With an additional couple of strong double espressos over the daytime. Never a cow’s milk based recipe of cappuccino or latte. I don’t drink cow’s milk and only take milk alternatives like oat or nut based choices. And only in cooking or on cereals. Nothing really works for hot drinks for my own palate. Tea, coffee or chocolate. Even the much recommended Barista Oatly is not for my own personal taste when married to coffee. My wife sells lots of it in her Wholefood shop. Barista Oatly is great on cornflakes though.

Once the right hand light comes on after a minute or two of switching the machine on…it is best ignored. Leave the machine to heat up for a while. Many different sources suggest from 5 to 20 minutes. The resulting hotter coffee temperature is then your own preferred choice.

Must admit that the Gaggia is performing nicely presently. Way back when I first owned it, I used to turn it on and as soon as the light to say ‘ready’ lit up, the starter button was pressed to make an espresso. Usually after a couple of minutes. Thing is. It always produced lukewarm espresso. I quickly learned that if you switch the machine on and wait 15 to 25 minutes, then the whole system gets warmed up nicely and produces a nice hot espresso. Electric energy usage is the eco friendly contraindication though. A bit of an ethical challenge. So it’s good to make a double espresso or, if we have a visitor or visitors, I ask if anyone else wants a shot too. My wife’s liking for coffee disappeared after she caught Covid. Never drinks it now! The crema on top of an espresso comes, for myself, from having the right basket design. A simple small hole in the coffee holding basket forcing up the back pressure.

If you are interested in owning a Gaggia it would be a good idea to check out their positives and negatives. There is a lot written about how to achieve a decent cup of coffee with one. A plethora of advice exists on the internet and YouTube re: Gaggia Classic coffee machines and how to get the best out of them. But it can get complicated. I have looked at tips and tricks regards this Gaggia classic, but after a few past experimental failures….I mostly ignore. There are very many considerations from getting the exact weight of beans for your own preferences, the way it is tamped down, the mix of coffee beans chosen, when and how to grind them and many more considerations. So much to consider that it is virtually a science. Maintenance is important too. Back flushing and descaling to keep them internally clean.

Grinding beans. I do own a couple of hand grinding vintage Spong machines. A #2 and the larger #4. Also an electric grinder too. The Spong is better for producing beans with nicer flavour. No heat produced and affecting the beans like the electric grinder. The electric grinder is a decent make however. So grind desired coarseness consistency is always achieved. It’s just that my wife has commandeered the heavy wooden butcher’s block station that housed the heavyweight Spong. It is now in her shop. So I currently have no place to clamp down the #4 beast permanently. It will almost certainly find a place soon though! The kitchen is due a DIY overhaul. The #2 is a permanent in the VeeDub.

The #4 Spong coffee grinder.

The Gaggia Classic? Apparently not quite the Royal Demitasse set up which is seen in the film ‘The Bucket List’. And my favourite Musetti Espresso Paradiso, which is 80% Arabica and 20% Robusta, is probably not quite the Kopi Luwak coffee bean choice in the film either. I would like to try the Kopi Luwak, but I feel that coffee bean production with use of the Asian palm civet (an animal) linked process could well be an unethical challenge in the ways it could be farmed.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_luwak

My simple routines in making cups of espresso or Americano provide a decent and satisfying start, middle-middle and end to the day. And a quick need for a coffee is now found in an instant choice too.

24 thoughts on “Coffee.”

  1. A man after my own heart. My machine is a Delonghi Magnifica S a few double shots through the day – sometimes with a heaped teaspoon of lactose free cream. I have a few addictions – one you know of (the ten hole tin can) and another is a single grain whiskey at the end of the day. Cheers Shep

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    1. Can’t beat a good addiction or three. Yours are pretty awesome. Bourbon is my EOD preference and all day six strings-a-strumming. Oh! And a VeeDub Bus and Fountain Pens. Their synergy marriages made in heaven. All the best Shep.

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  2. Coffee porn at this time of the morning!!!

    Great post – I’m now craving a proper coffee. I make a 50/50 blend of Brazilian and Guatemalan beans. Unfortunately, I don’t currently have a proper coffee machine, but, when we update the kitchen…
    Do you check the temperature of your espresso once it is expressed?? Do you time how long it takes to express too?
    It certainly becomes an obsession; getting the right beans, finding the right grind, tweaking your machine to get the best out of it.
    Have you come across this guy yet?? Brilliant coffee related videos.
    https://youtube.com/@jameshoffmann

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    1. Hi Ianto. You should have got that beast of a machine you were offered. 😊 That would have been fun. I do have a thermometer, bought for the milk temperature in cappuccinos if anyone wanted one. But I tend to use the same glass cup and can tell heat from the touch of that. The length of time the Gaggia is on actually on varies. Also the metal tamp is not firmly pressed, it just touches and levels. That small pin prick of a hole provides a slow delivery. I suppose the only thin not consistent is the beans themselves. Angie brings all sorts home and it’s fun trying them. But the Musetti Paradiso is a constant. I got the jitters a few years back as she found it difficult to source. I was in competition with a certain local doctor who loved it and bought it too. Good job Angie is my wife! I have seen this YouTube guy before. Not this particular one though. Very interesting. Linking pictorial art with the art of coffee making itself. Oh! You’ll have to show me some of your own barista skills. That would be fantastic. BTW. Still waiting for the VeeDub. But I’ll be great to get her back. All the best.

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      1. Not that you’re obsesses in any way….!!!!
        Recently bought a Vietnamese Thang Long coffee maker at a charity shop in Scotland. Haven’t tried it out yet.
        Just made myself a coffee to stop the craving. Thanks, Gray 😜 xxx

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      2. Angie got me a bunch of natural paper filters and a drip feeder. So it’s her fault! Glad you found a way to make decent coffee. Charity shops are ways to cosmically order your needs. The shakes will soon subside then. Trust me. I was a nurse who dealt with various patients with addiction problems. 😆 Xx

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      4. Birds of a feather!!!
        I also have an Aeropress, which is brilliant, especially when out walking.
        We have two little coffee makers at home; one is a ‘pod’ affair, which isn’t too bad. I have reusable pods for it, so can add my own coffee. The other is a one cup drip filter we got at Lidl and it’s brilliant! It makes a really good filter coffee – Gail’s favourite.
        The offered coffee machine was too much for me to take on, to be honest. Two people would struggle to lift it, plus I don’t have the tools or expertise to ‘do it up’, unfortunately. As it is, in essence, a big, pressurised boiler and potentially a massive bomb, I’d be too scared of getting it wrong and blowing myself up!!
        Anyhoo – the universe will provide. I’m sure the right machine will come along as and when the time is right x

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      5. I was in Kenilworth way back when. Spotted the Gaggia in a charity shop window and my Dad bought it for me for £50. So I was lucky. He kind of caught my enthusiastic Wow! expression. I was on my small monthly nurse bursary at the time, so was very strapped and poor money wise. The coffee shop in Aberystwyth had the cleaning single packet solutions and descaling tablets. So it was completely overhauled internally. As you say, pressure isn’t to be messed with. Walking? The Chilli flasks are good for keeping a coffee or tea hot. The VeeDub and it’s constant kettle possibility is always good too. So. Cosmic ordering begins for you as a machine is now the next aim. Fingers crossed. I got the Gaggia base off Mach Swapshop a few weeks back. Need an internal rubber dowel for bashing the used coffee grounds out though. A copper pipe is currently in situ. Too harsh. Cheers Ianto. Xx

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      6. Could you get some vilnyl type tubing to cover the cooper piping, or even some wooden dowel that will fit the knock-box?
        Cosmic ordering, eh?? I have a big shopping list!!!
        Cai and I had a fantastic day at the forge with the brilliant Spike a fortnight ago, so I’m on the lookout for an old anvil now too!! Absolutely loved the day with Spike – she’s just the best.

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      7. There was some hosepipe material covering. But no give in the metal. I was worried the box could break with the force needed to get the grounds out. Hard rubber will soak up the bashing need. Wooden dowel may be too hard too. I began looking on the internet and you can get rubber replacements. Just need to get the exact size right that fits into the C shaped box drawer housing. Anvil hey? I’ll keep an eye open. Sounds like a new hobby is going to start. A forge too? I don’t know Spike. Angie will though.

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      8. How dry arw the grounds after expressing?? Do they stay together as a puck? Os the knock box made of plastic?
        Also, I’ve found that the best tool for cleaning the grounds out of the portafilter is a small paintbrush (but not the little ‘watercolour’ type ones!).
        I’m sure Angie will know Spike x

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      9. The grounds are pretty dry and come away in a block. I have gotten wet grounds a long time ago when learning the packing techniques. But for a fair while now they have been nice and dry after delivery. The box is plastic and vintage. So hence force reluctance. I do use a paintbrush from time to time. A round headed cheap one from a set of potter/clay making tools. It has those stiffer bristles. I’ll ask Angie later re: Spike. Xx

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  4. I am impressed, far beyond my capabilities. The machine impressed me then I saw the grinder.. BTW if you enjoy crema might I suggest you google café cubano. Food and Wine has an easy and good recipe. it is all about the crema.

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    1. Thanks for the link Danny. I’ll try a third of the suggested measures at home to 2 people as I don’t use a stovetop. My kitchen hob is contraindicated. The Giagga makes a smaller shot. Not enough for 6 people. I do have open gas flame in the VeeDub though, so can try the Bialetti mocha pot I have in there. Drink it under an open sky. My brother does brew a stovetop at home though. I’ll send him the link. All the best.

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      1. I have a mocha pot, I skinny down the recipe for 1 (that is a challenge) and have found success making a cup with the Nespresso. Speaking of the VeeDub, is the engine repaired?

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      2. You get to know your own machines. I have a larger aluminium mocha pot. Found a beautiful stainless steel one in a charity shop for an absolute bargain. Gave it to my brother. The VeeDub engine was cooked. A write off. Paul, the VeeDub Guru, has been building his own engine for a number of years. His own 1973 VeeDub Bay window is in his workshop and a very long way from renovation. Lots of work to do. So he said, like a bolt out of the blue, ‘Do you want to buy it?’. I was shocked and embarrassed. He has Teflon coating, Gene Berg parts and military parts too. Not sure of the complete picture. But he’s really put work and thought into it. Really great quality inherent. So that’s in my VeeDub now. He’s currently sorting out my Solex carburettor and fingers crossed it’s okay. Should be back soon hopefully. I’ve been stuck at home because my wife has the only vehicle in the house. Soon I should be a free man again. 😊 Cheers Danny.

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    1. The art of coffee making can get a bit silly when you watch YouTubers discussing perfection. It’s simple really when you find a decent roasted bean you like, how to store it, a consistent weight per cup, time, tamping pressure, etc. I never change the electric grinder setting to make a decent espresso. But the Spong manual grinder is a bit of a challenge by altering the pressure plate. And the YouTubers can’t all agree on best methods either.

      So Richard’s consistency is the best approach every time. I don’t know the Keurig machine method. I’ll take a look. Cheers.

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