Clive Coffee comes through again.
https://clivecoffee.com/blogs/learn/the-all-inclusive-guide-to-dialing-in
I owe much to La Pavoni
Life is too short to drink bad coffee. I retired in 2014. One of my goals was to learn how to make good coffee at home – economically with joy. I knew that many espresso aficionados spend thousands of dollars on machines and accessories. Though I could have probably done so, I am thrifty (read: cheap) and as interested in learning as I am in drinking good coffee. I started with a stupid De’Longhi espresso machine for $100 and an Aeropress for $30. The De’Longhi was never capable of making good espresso and I struggled for nearly a year. The Aeropress stuck and I made decent coffee (not espresso) for a few years.
Somewhere along the line, I found a 2005 La Pavoni Pro manual lever espresso machine for a reasonable price on eBay. Impulsively, I jumped on it. It’s a niche machine, difficult to understand, steam punk, easy to maintain, and extremely satisfying when you get it right. I still remember the first day firing it up with my friend Harold and pulling the first decent shots of my life. I was hooked. I found the fledging LP Facebook group for support, as it was just starting up. I volunteered to the Italian in charge, Claudio Santoro, and wisely or foolishly, depending on your perspective, agreed for me to co-moderate the group. Here began my growth in the community and the establishment of like-minded friends world-wide. I applied my critical thinking skills, human resources orientation, and organizational development doctorate to help build the group to one approaching 10K members today. Mary Jane and I have travelled the world and have found friends most places we have visited due to this group.
One routine I have established along the way is going into 3rd way coffee shops wherever we are, starting with a macchiato (which I promptly knock back talking to the barista) and a pourover to-go. It’s the best of all worlds: good espresso along with good conversation and then experiments in different coffees. This has continued in my home routine. Pourover in the morning along with a cocoa Pappaccino for MJ. Then an espresso after lunch made on my LP. It’s sweet nectar made from beans of local and regional roasters. More recently, I started a Niche Zero Facebook support group, too, modeled after our successful LP group. Niche makes THE BEST single dose grinder and I’m blessed to be connected to them.
So…if you haven’t followed my adventures, look at these groups where I am an admin:
La Pavoni Lever Machine Owners: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LaPavoniLeverOwners
Niche Zero Owners: https://www.facebook.com/groups/NicheZeroOwners
Coffee Anarchy: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CoffeeAnarchy
If I can help you in any way, please contact me. My wish is to help my friends liberate themselves from Charbucks and make GREAT espresso/coffee at home. I owe a lot to La Pavoni and my coffee friends. I lift a coffee cup to you! Salut!
SOURCES:
La Pavoni: https://lapavoni.com/
Niche Coffee: https://www.nichecoffee.co.uk/
Frozen vacuum-sealed beans and The Pappaccino
We had friends over for dinner this past Tuesday night. MJ asked if I could make coffee, to be exact, DECAF coffee, since it would be served AFTER dinner. I told her that all I had was some Intelligentsia Black Cat Espresso Decaf. She stopped drinking decaf after she came back from Costa Rica, so the beans were vacuum-sealed and frozen. There were about 120g in the bag – enough to serve 4 coffees. The problem was the date: August 2017 – almost 2 years old! I told her that I couldn’t guarantee the flavor.
My wife enjoys Pappaccinos – my version of a cappuccino that she and I co-created. 2/3 frothed milk (half ‘n’ half to be exact) and 1/3 strong coffee from an AeroPress. After the milk is frothed, I insert the coffee in the frother with the frothed milk. add a squirt pf agave. and blend it all together. It comes out as a rich, tasty microfoam. She loves and our guests have come to love it.
I prefer strong coffee from the AeroPress, covered with a film of frothed milk so as to slow oxidation. I take a dollop or two from her frothed milk before I make her Pappaccino.
Well, much to my surprise, the pre-infusion in the AeroPresses bubbled up, releasing CO2. Our guests raved about their coffee, as did MJ. And the true test was my “almost” black coffee which was quite wonderful.
So can you keep 2 year old beans in a vacuum-sealed bag and frozen, yes. And they’ll do quite nicely in a pinch….
Black Cat Project Analog Espresso – still a favorite
A new coffee mug for one of my favorite coffees: Black Cat Project Analog Espresso by Intelligentsia Coffee.
RECIPE:
- 32g beans (Analog blend)
- 100ml 85°C water in inverted Aeropress
- stir (flat bottom whisk)
- 45 sec bloom time
- add 100ml water and cap
- 45 sec brew time
- press in heated cup
- 2 dollops frothed Half n Half
- stir and enjoy
I like the mug. It’s hefty, but not too big. Just right. And it pays tribute to the beans. 
From 2 years ago:
https://www.capncoffee.com/…/first-hand-crafted-single-serv…/
Brewing great coffee ON THE BOAT
Here’s what I used this morning to brew a great cup of coffee on the boat: Duluth Coffee Company Zenith City Espresso, timer, pot to heat half ‘n half (not shown) on stove, Aeropress, Britta water, Hario Skerton hand grinder with mod, Bonavita water kettle, thermometer, Milwaukee M12 drill with Hario adapter, flat bottom whisk, and Kuissential frother. Yum!
11 Ways to Drink Coffee Around the World
A quick view of coffee around the world. Enjoy.
But First, Coffee: 11 Ways to Drink Coffee Around the World
https://www.greatvaluevacations.com/travel-inspiration/how-to-drink-coffee-around-the-world
La Pavoni Shower Screen Install
Sorry for the absence. A lot going on here on the home front. Many of you know that I love my La Pavoni manual lever espresso machine and I help run the Facebook owners page. Here is a video I made last week when I installed the new LP-branded IMS shower screen on my 2005 Millennium Professional. I apologize for the length (a bit under 15 minutes). I’m a bit winded, as I like to explain everything I’m doing. 😉 Let me know if you have any questions.
La Pavoni Shower Screen Install
How to install a La Pavoni-branded IMS shower screen (or any shower screen) in a La Pavoni manual lever espresso machine.
https://youtu.be/fZuWsr2S55I
The science behind a great cup of coffee
Some people view coffee drinking as a caffeine-delivery system. Others view it as a pleasure experience. It’s similar to eating being a calorie-delivery system versus a pleasure experience.
I disagree with the conclusion of this article that only a trained barista can make a great cup of coffee. It is accessible to all of us, just like gourmet cooking. It’s all a matter of commitment, learning, equipment, and skill. While I like going out for a great cup of coffee, I also like making one at home. 
https://www.mnn.com/food/beverages/blogs/science-great-cup-coffee-chemistry-and-physics
No more flat whites – a short story
A short story by Eric Grimm for coffee lovers and lovers of all things Australian.
http://sprudge.com/no-flat-whites-110266.html
Beans! Freshly roasted! Freshly ground!
In my last blog, I explained how to how to froth milk to make good milk-based coffee drinks. Here I take on the most important thing in making a good coffee – beans!
Yeah, I know that in my Quickstart blog I recommended that you start with ground coffee. That’s where I started (but didn’t stay there long). Fresh beans offer such a big improvement over instant and commercial brands. If you want to make a big difference in your coffee, invest time in finding freshly roasted beans that you like. Yes, freshness counts! Freshly roasted beans. Freshly ground beans. Fresh! Fresh!
Quick history of American coffee. First wave: Folgers/Maxwell House. Second wave: Starbucks. We’re currently in the Third Wave: freshly roasted beans, usually in small quantities, roasted on the lighter side.
So…my advice about beans.
- Buy in small quantities. Buy in 12-ounce or 16-ounce bags. You will probably go through that in a week or two. Don’t buy coffee beans in bulk.
- Buy local. The best way to get fresh beans is to buy them close to where the beans are roasted.
Here are some options about where to buy fresh beans (in order of preference):
- Local roasters: If you can, find a local roaster you trust. Talk with him/her. Get the roaster’s recommendations.
- Local coffee shops: Visit different local coffee shops. Talk to the baristas while they make your coffee. Ask what coffee they use. Buy some coffee to try.
- National roasters: Buy beans online from small national roasters. There are more and more small roasters who ship fresh beans on a weekly basis. I use Intelligentsia, out of Chicago. We love their Black Cat Espresso Project. They usually roast and ship the same day – every Monday. They roast on the lighter side, so their beans don’t taste burnt.
Also, don’t buy a roaster machine! At least, not now! After a year into my coffee journey, I bought a home roaster machine. Guess what? It’s still sitting in the box it came in. I just don’t have time to roast or learn how. Someday, I probably will, but for now, I buy my beans from a trusted roaster.
Buy different beans from different roasters. Ask a lot of questions. Find out what you like. Stick with that for a while, but don’t forget to branch out occasionally.
Grinders!
Okay, I’m back here. To grinders. You can’t talk about fresh beans without talking about grinders. If you can’t afford a grinder now, have your local coffee shop grind your beans. No, it won’t be freshly ground, but trust me, it will still beat Folgers and Starbucks hands down!
But, if you can afford a grinder, make a grinder your first big purchase. You have 2 basic choices: hand or electric. I’m currently experimenting with hand grinding, mostly on the boat. Downside – it takes time and it’s tiring! Upside – you get freshly ground beans! I just bought a drill adapter for my 12v power drill. I will be able to spin the hand grinder with my drill. I’ll let you know how that works out. You can spend almost as much for a great hand grinder as you do for a good electric. But don’t. If you want to experiment with hand grinding, buy a Hario Skerton ($25) with an upgrade kit ($14). That’s what I currently am using on the boat.
Or go ahead! Splurge! Buy an electric grinder. For home use, check out my recommendations. Honestly, expect to invest as much in your grinder as you might in a coffee machine (unless you use an AeroPress). Grinders are great investments and a purchase you definitely won’t regret.
So, to sum up – Find a good, trusted roaster (local, if you can). Buy a grinder (hand or electric). And then we will say, “Welcome to the “Third Wave!”
So…how do you like your coffee now that you are using freshly ground, freshly roasted beans?
Next
Now we’ve talked about what TO buy, we’ll talk about what to avoid (at least for now).