#espressomachine — Public Fediverse posts

What Is Barley Coffee, and Why Italians Swear by It

Key Takeaways Barley coffee, or caffè d’orzo, is a naturally caffeine-free Italian beverage made by roasting and brewing barley grains to create a drink that looks and tastes similar to espresso. With earthy, nutty, and s…
#dining #cooking #diet #food #Italianfood #caffèd’orzo #coffeebeans #Espressomachine #Italia #Italian #ItalianFood #italiano #italy
https://www.diningandcooking.com/2475950/what-is-barley-coffee-and-why-italians-swear-by-it/

What Is Barley Coffee, and Why Italians Swear by It https://www.diningandcooking.com/2475950/what-is-barley-coffee-and-why-italians-swear-by-it/ #CaffèD’orzo #CoffeeBeans #EspressoMachine #Italia #Italian #ItalianFood #italiano #italy

Winter weekends are for lattes. :neocat_cofe:

#coffee #espresso #LatteArt #EspressoMachine #OdysseyArgos #OdysseyEspresso

All my parts came back from powder coating! I’m hoping I can have my custom espresso machine built by Thanksgiving! :neocat_cofe: :parrot_dad:

#OdysseyArgos #espresso #EspressoMachine #coffee

Point what you want!
(Don’t trust the Internet and the oligarchs)

Paper Thing Chart 673 - 676

By Meister Jeder, Dadaist, Hüter des Kunstfriedens von 1961 und Realistiker 9/25
#dada #Nature #Color #Art #AIart #PicturePanel #Thing #animals #Bildtafel #Dinge #Espressomaschine #EspressoMachine #Espresso #Kaffee #Coffee #Italien #doppio

Going Analog: Temperature Surfing and Pressure Profiling a Gaggia Classic

There’s something wonderfully unhurried about making espresso on a Gaggia Classic. No touchscreen, no digital timers, no automated pressure curves, just a few switches, a boiler, a vibrating pump, and your own rhythm. It’s a machine that doesn’t offer convenience so much as opportunity.

But with that analog charm comes a learning curve. Why was yesterday’s shot bright and balanced, and today’s is flat and dull? The answer, most days, lives in temperature and pressure, and your ability to guide both by feel.

This guide walks through two essential techniques that unlock the Classic’s full potential: temperature surfing, to hit your ideal brew temp without a PID, and a clever bit of manual pressure profiling using the steam valve to mimic a lever machine’s declining pressure curve. It’s easier than it sounds, and a rewarding way to make this machine feel like your own.

I should note these techniques are also applicable to the ultra budget Gaggia Espresso (we even show it in some photos later!), the Rancilio Silvia, and even higher end machines like the Profitec Go; pretty much any single boiler machine that allows pass-through the steam wand.

I’ve owned a Classic for a long time now, and this article is inspired by my own experiments.

Part 1: Temperature Surfing : Learning the Boiler’s Rhythm

The Gaggia Classic uses a thermostat to control its single boiler, which means the water inside is constantly drifting between too hot and not quite hot enough. Brewing at random risks pulling a shot during one of those extremes.

Temperature surfing is how you learn to ride that wave and brew in the sweet spot – around 92 to 95°C – depending on what you’re aiming for in the cup.

Step-by-Step: Temperature Surfing

1. Heat your machine fully (20 minutes minimum). Lock the portafilter in during warm-up to keep metal temps stable.
2. Purge about 60 ml of water through the brew head. This drop in water level triggers the heating element and drops the internal temp.
3. Watch the brew-ready light. When it clicks off, that’s your signal the boiler’s just hit its upper limit.
4. Start a timer. Now comes the surf.
   • Hotter shot (for darker roasts)? Wait 10–15 seconds.
   • Brighter acidity (for light roasts)? Wait 20–30 seconds for a slight cool-down.
5. Pull the shot at your chosen wait time.

A simple notebook or even a Notes app entry helps here. Jot down your wait times, beans, and how each shot tasted. You’ll find your rhythm faster than you think. And you don’t even need a thermometer to make this magic happen, just your tastebuds.

Part 2: Pressure Profiling – The Lever Hack

Most people assume the Classic’s pump is either on or off. But it turns out, there’s a bit of gray in that binary: the steam wand knob.

If you crack the steam valve while the pump is running, you can bleed off brew pressure in the grouphead, actively. And if you do that intentionally during a shot? You’ve just created a manual pressure profile: no modifications, no electronics, just a twist of the wrist.

This simple trick lets you emulate the declining pressure curve found in spring lever machines. Those machines start extraction strong, then gently taper pressure off toward the end of the shot. The result? Smoother finishes, richer sweetness, and less harshness from overextraction.

There is a price: water usage and potential temperature issues. You use a lot of water for this technique, and if you go aggressive with it, the machine’s boiler may not be able to keep up with the temperatures you want. Saying that, it’s not necessarily a bad thing – declining temperatures later in the shot pull can help deliver better espresso (but that’s a topic for another article).

Here’s how you do it.

Step-by-Step: Manual Pressure Profiling

1. Prepare your puck. Dose, level, and tamp as usual.
2. Start with the steam valve open slightly. When you flip on the brew switch, water exits both the group and the wand. Keep a jug under the steam wand to collect the water coming out. This keeps pressure low (~2–3 bar), gently saturating the puck for a soft pre-infusion.
3. After 5–7 seconds, close the valve. Pressure builds to full (around 9 bar) and true extraction begins.
4. At around 20–25 seconds, begin reopening the valve. Slowly. This eases the pressure off gradually, mimicking that classic lever ramp-down.
5. End the shot when you’ve reached your desired volume or taste target.

You’ll hear the pump pitch shift as you bleed off pressure, and the flow from the grouphead will slow and thicken rather than gush and blond. It’s espresso by feel, and it’s deeply satisfying. On CoffeeGeek, there’s also a more detailed guide for this very action.

A Word on OPV Valves

Most modern North American Gaggia Classics ship with a 9-bar OPV (overpressure valve), which helps keep pump pressure within a manageable range. If your machine is older, or comes from the EU, it might still have the factory 12–15 bar spring.

If that’s you, it’s worth looking into an OPV spring replacement. You’ll find dozens of tutorials online, and it’s a relatively easy mod. Lowering pressure gives you more room to play with profiling and improves extraction with lighter roasts.

Maintenance, Briefly

A clean machine makes all the subtleties of temperature and pressure show up more clearly in the cup. Make sure you’re keeping your machine clean and happy to get the most out of these techniques.

• Backflush daily with water, and weekly with espresso machine cleaning detergent.
• Clean the grouphead gasket and screen daily if you use the machine often.
• Descale every few months if your water isn’t filtered or softened.

Beyond the Basics: Making Your Espresso Machine Truly Yours

The Gaggia Classic and machines in this class aren’t just an entry point into espresso, it’s a companion for growth. The more time you spend with it, the more you realize how alive this little machine can feel in your hands. With a bit of patience, it stops being a simple appliance and becomes an instrument you learn to play.

Temperature surfing helps you find the sweet spot for every roast, turning what could feel like guesswork into a kind of conversation between you and the coffee. Meanwhile, pressure profiling opens the door to exploring a wider range of beans than you might expect. A delicate washed Ethiopian, a syrupy Brazilian natural, or even an experimental anaerobic: all of them respond differently when you control not just if the water flows, but how it flows. Gentle preinfusion, steady body-building pressure, and a graceful ramp-down can reveal flavors that might otherwise stay hidden.

These techniques aren’t just “workarounds.” They’re small rituals that bring you closer to the shot in front of you. You’ll notice more clarity, more sweetness, and far less of the harshness that sometimes sneaks in with a flat, one-pressure-fits-all approach. Over time, you’ll build an intuition for what a coffee needs and the confidence to give it just that.

So take your time, experiment, and let yourself enjoy the process as much as the result. I’d love to hear how these approaches work for you! Share your experiences in the comments below. Your story might be just what someone else needs to try something new with their own Classic.

#espressoMachine #gaggia #pressureProfiling #temperatureSurfing

Frankenflair 58: Manual Roots, Advanced Brew - The user interface of things we deal with often makes or breaks our enjoyment of u... - https://hackaday.com/2025/04/19/frankenflair-58-manual-roots-advanced-brew/ #coffeemakerhack #espressomachine #coffeemachine #toolhacks #pcb #pid

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Fun day today, unboxing, photographing, and going over the new Ninjs Cafe Luxe espresso / coffee machine, from top to bottom. Also really need to break in that grinder; I can already tell, with about 15 drinks built, it is changing up a bit and settling in. I figure the usual 3-5kg of coffee and it should be singing. Have included several pictures, including the main machine, the very first shot pull, and how the milk VORTEXES in the steam pitcher. The standard double shot pulls 45g like clockwork.

The machine has some features no one's written about yet:

- the steam pitcher has a froth whirler whisk thing built right into the bottom centre of it. That's how froth is created, and also how the cold froth works

- there is a hidden service / additional features menu for further fine tuning the machine. Ninja only explains 2 of the 10 settings available, in the manual. Will inquire about the others

- This can brew a "quad shot" of espresso in one go, using the deeper basket. Up to 40g coffee used. Maybe @LanceHedrick will like that :) I remember La Marzocco and Pierro Bambi did some heavy experiments with this in the past.

- you can manually froth with this machine and a traditional milk pitcher. I'm very happy to see that.

- almost everything is very quick, though milk frothing takes a while automatically.

In addition, some letdowns: no hot water function, no PF rinse function. But that said, i've brewed several 6, 8 and 10oz coffees on this and they are FANTASTIC.

More to come!

cc @coffee @espresso

#espressomachine #espresso #ninjakitchen #ninjacafeluxe

Well, hello there!
Arrived home today to find this had arrived. The fun's about to begin.

It's Ninja's new entry into the premium espresso market, the Ninja Luxe Cafe Espresso / Coffee system. Unboxing and initial photos and setup testing planned for this weekend!

Content up on CoffeeGeek next week.

cc @espresso @coffee

#espresso #espressomachine #ninjakitchen

Last night, was setting up the bar area for both a photoshoot later today, and also a small focus group coming over to test these budget espresso machines. Missing from the pic: a Flair Neo Flex $100 manual, portable espresso maker.

Should be... fun? :)

cc @espresso

#espresso #espressomachine #gaggia #breville #budgetespresso

Completely re-written and fully updated: our First Look at the Breville Bambino Plus espresso machine. It's longer than most full reviews. We cover the history of the machine, changes it has had, and its position in today's marketplace.

cc @espresso

#espressomachine #brevillebambinoplus #bambinoplus #coffeegeek

https://coffeegeek.com/reviews/firstlooks/breville-bambino-plus-first-look/

Lelit is showing some influence from Baratza... they are now offering parts and upgrade kits for their machines. I don't know what the prices are yet, but Lelit told me themselves that prices would be "competitive" and "not like what it costs to upgrade La Marzocco machines'

#lelit #espressomachine cc @espresso

https://www.lelit.com/product/upgrade-kit/

I have been testing and using a lot of budget espresso machines in the past four months (under $600 range) and the one thing about the Breville Barista Express (and TBH, both the Breville Infuser and Breville Bambino Plus) that sets it apart is the polish, fit and finish, and feel of the machine. It still, to this day, punches above its weight class in overall build quality.

Our First Look.

cc @espresso
#espressomachine #baristaexpress #breville #espresso

https://coffeegeek.com/reviews/firstlooks/breville-barista-express-espresso-machine/

A fresh first look at the most popular espresso machine in the world: the Breville Barista Express. We are also working on a new Full Review for the machine.

#espressomachine #espresso #brevillebaristaexpress #baristaexpress

cc @espresso

https://coffeegeek.com/reviews/firstlooks/breville-barista-express-espresso-machine/

One of the great things about ground breaking machines like the Breville Bambino Plus is that their success in the market pushes other manufacturers to catch up and try to match and surpass those efforts.

For instance, the new Gaggia Espresso lineup. $250, PID controlled, rapid response machine, Italian made, preinfusion, programmable volumetric shots, and looks pretty good too. How does it stack up? I'll know in May!

#espresso #gaggia #espressomachine

cc @espresso

Gaggia has a ton of info and vids on the machine, here:

https://www.gaggia.com/manual-machines/espresso-evolution/

If you saw my posts last night, I was agonizing over what "Feature Image" to use for our forthcoming Turin Legato Espresso machine first look.

I ended up re-shooting today for that, cleaning up the space a bit, and shooting the machine on a slight angle. Here's the photo I'm going to use (raw from camera currently) along with a couple of americano shots from the machine.

#espresso #turinlegato #espressomachine #coffeegeek

cc @espresso

Freshly updated to cover some new espresso machine technologies seen in 2023, here's ways that Breville can update the best selling espresso machine of all time, the Barista Express.

#espressomachine #breville #baristaexpress #espresso

cc @espresso

https://www.coffeegeek.com/techniques/how-breville-can-improve-the-barista-express/

Here's CoffeeGeek comprehensive First Look at the new 2023 Gaggia Classic Evo Pro espresso machine.

Has Gaggia lived up to expectations? Have they delivered a nicely matured version of a machine they've been selling for 45 years? Our First Look does dive into this.

#gaggia #espressomachine #gaggiaclassic #firstlook

https://www.coffeegeek.com/reviews/gaggia-classic-evo-pro-espresso-machine-first-look/

Okay folks, you voted, and you picked the Gaggia Classic Evo Pro as the next Review / First Look to be published on CoffeeGeek. Thanks for voting!

It will launch tonight; but in the meantime, check out our blog post on the launch of the Gaggia Classic Pro, back in 2019.

#espresso #coffee #gaggia #gaggiaclassic #espressomachine

https://www.coffeegeek.com/new-products/gaggia-introduces-the-gaggia-classic-pro/

Also, a blast from the past: a review of the V4 version of the Rancilio Silvia, from 2007, on CoffeeGeek.

The machine is not much changed since then. Minor update in 2012, and in 2020, they did the following updates:

- new switches
- black cowling around grouphead
- stainless steel updated wand
- insulated boiler
- slightly different pump.

#ranciliosilvia #espresso #espressomachine

https://www.coffeegeek.com/reviews/ranciliosilvia/

A Rancilio Silvia (left) next to the Rancilio Silvia Pro (right).

It's too bad the Silvia Pro sounds like a train wreck everytime its pump is activated. Really bad engineering decision, hard-connecting the steam boiler's pump (a solid copper tube).

Otherwise, the Pro is quite nice.

#ranciliosilvia #espresso #espressomachine #silviapro

Small Monday win: Replaced the group head gasket on our espresso machine because the last time I pulled a shot, the portafilter came loose and it was quite a mess.

Tried pulling a shot again right after putting in the new gasket, but there's still a very slight PF movement. I wonder if that's normal because I never really noticed that before. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks! :coffee_hello:

#coffee #espresso #EspressoMachine #HomeBrewer #HomeBrewing

Thinking of duplicating my #RancilioSilvia. I have one in Canada, but miss it when I am in the States. Seems a good time to try the #poll feature around here. Please also comment. #espresso #espressoMachine

Espresso Machine Now Powers Plants - This thing has what plants crave! No, not electrolytes exactly — just water, light, and moisture p... more: https://hackaday.com/2020/02/22/espresso-machine-now-powers-plants/ #soilmoisturesensor #espressomachine #arduinohacks #arduino #relay #reuse