New S1 owner in Berkeley, CA

[jlecount]

Hi!

I'm a former Baby Gaggia owner whose Gaggia died a couple of months ago -- corroded and cracked boiler, etc. So I took it as a good time to upgrade. For the last few months of its life, the Gaggia was getting worse and worse, but as I always expected the Gaggia to be a somewhat temporary espresso solution (that lasted 3 years. ), I let is slide into decrepitude and finally, die entirely.

So for the last few months, I revisited my options -- Andreja, Brewtus, Chris' not-yet-in-existence double-boiler, or the S1. I set a budget of $2000 with the wife -- never thought that was possible, but hey, never underestimate the power of the morning cappuccino! At the top of my list of features was temperature stability. That being paramount, I eliminated HX machines from my list. Unfair? Many HX owners would probably say so, but I just really didn't want to have to temperature surf to hit my target temperature. And, so that really left me with the Brewtus and the S1. Well, then it became primarily a question of vendors and maintainability. Buying the S1 from Chris Coffee left me with a warm-fuzzy that if I run into issues, I'll be taken care of. I placed the order last Monday and received the machine (expedited) on Thursday. Woo hoo!

Wow, what a difference from a Baby Gaggia! About 2 lbs of coffee later, I'm realizing that I'm going to have to learn everything over again. Some of the espresso I'm getting out of the machine is excellent -- and even the mediocre shots are as good as my previous average with the Gaggia. A few of the shots, however, have been really sublime. And, knowing that the machine is not the blocking factor, I'm confronted with the limitations of my fledgling technique. How to reproduce those extraordinary shots? When the shots haven't been just right, I've noticed that they've often been sour, so I've been working on keeping temperature on the mark -- keeping the portafilter heated, starting the shot just as the boiler finishes coming back up to temp, etc.

Could it be the dosing and tamp instead of the temperature? I've got beans that are about a week old, and am not getting a great dark color at the start of the extraction -- I'm getting a medium honey color instead. So maybe it's just poor extraction?

I haven't started using the naked portafilter yet -- which I have, but have been just worrying about the basics so far.

And then there's steaming...God, every time I turn that nozzle, I expect the left side of the S1 to start lifting off the counter...Wow. And, as a drinker of soy cappuccinos, I've gone through quite a lot of milk now to get back to passable microfoam --- with the Gaggia, I had about 45 seconds or more to work the milk. With the S1, it's like 15 seconds! I am sure that once I have the technique down with the new machine, I'll love it, but right now, it's really pretty unforgiving. Makes me want to go back to cows milk -- it's WAYYY easier.

Any other S1 owners in the Berkeley, CA area? I'd love to get together and get some tips on properly using the machine in exchange for lunch or something....

Anyway, having great fun with the machine...Thanks for putting up with my long-winded, enthusiastic ramblings...

Cheers,
Jason

[TruthBrew]

Congrats, I know we all understand the excitement!

[zak42]

I remember when I moved up to the S1 from a Gaggia, I had to work on improving my distribution technique, I find the deeper baskets on the S1 mean you really do need to concentrate on getting a really good distribution. I'd suspect that's your problem, a bottomless PF is worth its weight in gold for sorting out these kinds of problems.

[alsterling]

Jason:

I too share your excitement...and from the date of your post, I'd guess you're still deep into discovering your machine. It took me about a month of daily brewing of my favorite, Malabar Gold as cappuccinos (I use 2% or whole milk), to get the hang of it and match the results from my Expobar Pulsar Office. I had a small two hole tip with the Expobar, and because I do small amounts of milk, I appreciated more control with less steam. That's why I ordered the after market steam tip from Chris.

Two items I added to my order with Chriscoffee:

1ea Extra PF with double basket
1ea 2 hole steam tip with adapter

The extra PF works well, as I also use it for my "brew pressure gage setup." You might want to add that to your list. Graingers Industrial Supply has 0-200 PSI dry or liquid filled gages. Add a few adapters and you can adjust your machine.

Machines ship from Chris at about 9.5 to 10 bar pressure. I left my temp at 95C, and have adjusted the temp up and down......I'm now back at 95C. I'm never satisfied, and even with roaster's recommendations, find that the taste preferences of my friends and I are the ultimate criteria.

For what it's worth, here's a streaming video of my setup.......

Click Here[url]

Again, good luck.......and oh, as for other Berkeley S1 owners, the closest I found while on one of my frequent trips to your area was a nice fellow in SF proper. And of course for coffee...... you've got Sweet Maria's in their new location in Oakland. Not far from them is a commercial roaster and equipment dealer; Mr. Espresso.... not far from the Port of Oakland building.

Best, Al in SoCal

[swimmer]

Hi and congrats on your new S1. i'm a fairly new S1 owner as well (May) and live on the other side of the tunnel in Lafayette. i don't know how much help i would be to you being a newbie myself, but anything i've learned i'm willing to share.
i rec'd some wonderful advice from Bob R on this site regarding steaming milk
1) block one of the holes on the steam tip by jamming a toothpick in and breaking it off
2) use the correct size pitcher for the amount of milk being frothed. if the pitcher is too large, it just doesn't work.

i use a 12 oz pitcher w/ about 3-4 ounces of 1% milk for a double cap - it's also a good size for a latte. i also have a 16 oz pitcher that i found at Crate & Barrel for larger amounts of milk when making multiple drinks. both are the straight side models that are slightly narrower at the top. prior to these tips from Bob, all i was getting was hot milk.
Thank You Bob!
occassionally the piece of toothpick blows out. when it does, i'm back to hot milk again - it just steams too fast for me to get foam. i ordered a 2 hole tip from Chris's Coffee but it doesn't fit well & leaks. also it has ridges around it that would be a nightmare to clean. i've read somewhere (probably here) that there is a new smooth 2 hole tip (or maybe it has 3 holes that are smaller than the stock tip) avail from Chris's and i may give it a shot.
Good Luck and holler if there's anything i can help with.
S

[jlecount]

well, it's been almost a week, and I'm starting to improve with the machine.

I went to Blue Bottle Coffee in Oakland yesterday for fresh beans. They were amazing -- they gave me a tour of their space, including the new built-like-a-cast-iron-tank Probat roaster. I started chatting with one of the roasters and we hung out for a bit while he pulled shots (that he was generous enough to share as we talked.) It was a totally awesome experience, and I came away with some of their Hayes Valley and Roman blends -- both roasted that day. When I mentioned that I was going to be pulling shots that day, they threw in a 1/2 pound of the Hayes that was roasted on Friday so I didn't have to wait while the new beans aged a few days. Talk about customer service -- not only have I always loved their beans, it turns out that they're as nice as their beans are tasty...

So now, I"ve got Blue Bottle's Hayes Valley blend dialed in and producing really nice shots. I lightened my tamp from my usual 40+ lbs to an even 30 and ground finer. I knocked the brew temp up a couple of degrees to 97C (isn't the temp control fabulous?) and am having good luck with that. I'll switch to the Roman tomorrow and we'll see how that is.

As far as steaming the soy milk, making progress there too -- a few quarts of mediocre milk later, I'm starting to get decent microfoam (though still a bit on the thin side) without any non-microfoam bubbles.

Using the naked portafilter, things look pretty good -- most shots weren't exhibiting any channeling and the extraction appeared OK.

Thanks for all the suggestions -- I think I'm going to stick with the 3 hole tip--now that I'm starting to get used to it. I'd love to get a Scace portafilter device to see how close the brew temp is to what the machine claims, but for now, I'm just going to dial in by taste.

Well-caffeinated and having a blast...

Jason

[alsterling]

.....i ordered a 2 hole tip from Chris's Coffee but it doesn't fit well & leaks. also it has ridges around it that would be a nightmare to clean......

Funny you mentioned that.....

Mary at CCf gave me some instructions about the washer arrangement when I ordered the 2 hole tip. I promptly forgot them, and just moved things around until it appeared workable. The thread match between the tip and adapter are a bit loose. I think that's why there can be steam leak issue.

The tip started leaking a couple days ago, so I went to a local hardware store and bought a couple O-rings; large one between adapter and tip, and then a smaller one for adapter to wand. It's working fine, but I think a slightly cushioned fiber washer is a better engineering fit. I'll keep my eyes open for either the washers or material next time out.

Best, Al in SoCal

[swimmer]

Thanks Al - i'd given up on the 2 hole tip, but i'll give your suggestion a try. i'll look for the parts today while at my summer home - Home Depot.
Saundra

[alsterling]

Summer Home...............Depot

That's funny! I've got to remember that one...... although since selling the homestead of 32 years and moving to Orange County, which is a bit new and yuppy puppy....... there's less to fix on these houses. The plus side is I'm getting older and don't relish turning a wrench like I did when in my thirties.

I still think a fiber washer is the best choice. The new O-ring I installed is already "spreading" from the heat. The best fit for a fiber washer would be to get one that's got a smaller hole or inside diameter, but with a greater outside diameter. That way, one could drill out the center a bit, or just force it on for a really snug fit.

Good luck, Al