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Vintage465's avatar
Vintage465
Nomad
Sep 17, 2017

New manual lever espresso maker

We do a lot of boon docking and my bride thrives on Soy Cappuccinos in the morning. Now my wife very used to very good espresso from high end coffee houses. We purchase a ROK unit to make espresso shots with and had about 10% success. They would come out bitter, or it would curdle the steamed soy, or this, or that. So I went on to a barista forum and asked what their thoughts were and they were similar. One responder recommended the new unit below called a Flair. I purchased one and when it got here we whipped up some espresso and it comes out perfect each time. I actually tossed out the first two shots and got six or seven right after that. Highly recommend getting one if you like legit espresso....I, of course don't drink espresso, I drink what Juan Valdez drinks, black coffee from a French Press or a single cup drip.............
  • Vintage465's avatar
    Vintage465
    Nomad
    Sep 17, 2017
    Mortimer Brewster wrote:
    Vintage465 wrote:
    We have a hard time getting a consistent "sweet" meaning not bitter shot with the stove top unit. But then, to me, all espresso tastes bitter. That's why I drink good ole black coffee.

    I'm not sure how your stovetop unit works, but bitterness can be caused by the water getting too hot. The ideal range is 195° to 205°. An instant read thermometer is a must.

    I have a chrome goose neck stove top pitcher that has a thermometer built into it so we are able to manage the water temp to 205 degrees. And yes, that is the directive I've heard....205 maximum. Or the goods come out bitter.
  • Mortimer_Brewst's avatar
    Mortimer_Brewst
    Explorer II
    Sep 17, 2017
    Vintage465 wrote:
    We have a hard time getting a consistent "sweet" meaning not bitter shot with the stove top unit. But then, to me, all espresso tastes bitter. That's why I drink good ole black coffee.

    I'm not sure how your stovetop unit works, but bitterness can be caused by the water getting too hot. The ideal range is 195° to 205°. An instant read thermometer is a must.
  • Vintage465's avatar
    Vintage465
    Nomad
    Sep 17, 2017
    We have a hard time getting a consistent "sweet" meaning not bitter shot with the stove top unit. But then, to me, all espresso tastes bitter. That's why I drink good ole black coffee.

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