the brush if I start noticing retention.  Not very often.

 

On the Niche for espresso machine shots I'm between 9 and 11 depending on the bean and the age of the coffee.

I don't clean my Niche that often.  When I do, I simply disassemble to get the burr related parts out and use the provided brush.

HS

I clean grinders the same as Dan. 
 

The Hoffman giveaway item I received was the refractometer! It’s not the best one in the world, but I’m sure it’ll be fun. 

One thing to know about the niche:  the numbers are only really useful as an internal reference, because they're entirely dependent on how you calibrated it.  

And the corollary being that we can all calibrate the same way. I go slightly to the right of the indicator, myself. 

One thing I started doing after the espresso machine acquisition is placing a couple of small pieces of masking tape between the rotating rings/parts so I could see if they were drifting (require recalibration) given I use the Niche for pour over in the morning and for espresso after lunch.  YMMV...

HS

Ok, now that I reduced the grind to 12, the puck crumbles upon whacking the knock box. (Behave here Steve) Prior to changing the grind the puck would pop out as a solid piece.  Is that bad or nothing?

if you have a bottomless portafilter, does the stream consolidate into a single stream or is it a shower or multiple streams?

It's probably crumbling because you're getting better extraction.   Watch the pour, and stop it a little after you get blonding, and you should have a good shot.  Experiment with that and find out where your sweet spot is for flavor.

One of my smarter purchases in support of the espresso maker is a small mirror that is magnetic and rotates.  I place it on the espresso maker next to my scale so I have a clear view of the portafileter screen so I can see the stream coming together, etc...  Money well spent IMHO.  I found it on Etsy and I'm happy to provide a link if anyone is looking for one.

HS

1 hour ago, grawk said:

if you have a bottomless portafilter, does the stream consolidate into a single stream or is it a shower or multiple streams?

All of the above. I need to try a few more pulls and watch closer with my mirror to assess my progress.

2 hours ago, HemiSam said:

  I found it on Etsy and I'm happy to provide a link if anyone is looking for one.

HS

Yes please. I tired of crouching to watch the pour.

6 minutes ago, velomane said:

Yes please. I tired of crouching to watch the pour.

This is the one I purchased, but it appears they are out of stock.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1103111404/shot-nanny-elegant-bottomless?show_sold_out_detail=1&ref=nla_listing_details

I saw this one in the feed that looks like it could be the same.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1205499848/espresso-shot-coffee-mirror-50mm-2?click_key=3ea59f7c4e3dca25744ec94a5a9c03a6578bc067%3A1205499848&click_sum=eff1b793&ref=sold_out-6

HS

I have a Normcore mirror and a Weber looking glass. The Weber is nice, but not worth the money over the Normcore. The Normcore has a magnetic base. I keep it on the edge of the drip tray. 

How often are y'all struggling with channeling? I have not invested in a new portafilter yet, so I can only judge by flow rate change, taste and puck inspection. 

Not too terribly often; are you WDTing? I WDT or use a blind shaker; they both do a great job of distribution, which is the number one element for reducing channeling. 

Edited December 12, 20223 yr by EdipisReks1

Nope - using the Oracle grinder built in setup with it's spiral press. It does a really good job most of the time. I have found that if I have an issue it is the grind setting (well it is the only setting that I have). I was just curious with most people using an open portafilter, if there were issues that people were trying to resolve. 

Q - with the duel boiler - do you have a preference for your pre-infusion pressure? I have been using 65 (I assume %). I think that the duel is the same setup. 

The Oracle and the Dual Boiler have the same basic mechanism, so yeah, it works the same way. I don’t think my having the OPV set much lower than factory affects the preinfusion, but my having a different solenoid very well may: I’m running at 80, which on my machine gives me a solid 1/2 bar preinfusion. My understanding is that it’s percentage of pump pressure, yeah. 

Edited December 12, 20223 yr by EdipisReks1

I don't have channeling issues very often.  I do have to play with the grind setting as I purchase new coffee, or adjust a smidge as the beans age but these are very minor tweaks to grind setting (well less than one tick on the Niche).

I pre-infuse with the Lelit Bianca at 2 bar for roughly four seconds and then swing the paddle for higher pressure until the gauge hits 9 bar.  Seems to work pretty well.

One thing I have concluded is I can torture myself with a less roasted bean trying to hit the sweet spot for espresso or I can purchase a bean clearly roasted for espresso (plenty dark) and make my life much easier hitting my marks.  Much darker notes on the heavily roasted beans so it's a taste thing.

HS

Meanwhile ...

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/seattle-startups-bring-robots-to-coffee-pizza-prep/

 

 

1 hour ago, Grahame said:

Meanwhile ...

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/seattle-startups-bring-robots-to-coffee-pizza-prep/

 

 

After watching the latte art, I hate this guy already...LOL.

HS

Latte art is sure hard if you aren’t making 100 lattes a day and/or are not a robot. 

After two pounds of coffee, I am starting to get the hang of the Oracle. The new portafilter helps with being about to see the flow and distribution. 

I am on my third new coffee now. And I am able to get it dialed in with about three shots. I seem to work best starting with too much flow {a bit sour} and then work towards making it stronger and more extracted. My palate can detect that easier than starting on the bitter side.

I wanted a bit more coffee in my latte, So I have increased my dose up to 22 in and 45 out, right at 35 second. I will probably decrease my milk volume a bit to give me a little more coffee ratio. 

Still a few things I may change, the burr set is a little worn {rough cutting edge}, and they are relatively cheap to replace. It was a used machine. But overall I am becoming more happy with it as I use it more. Surprise, good coffee makes me happy.

cheers

Nice! It feels really good when you get things dialed in. Plus, as you say: good coffee makes you happy. 

If anybody wants one of Twitter’s Lineas, here is your chance: https://www.gearpatrol.com/home/a42283958/twitter-furniture-auction/

Unfortunate situation for a local roaster (to me) turns into a rather good deal if you are interested. I grabbed a case.

https://www.modest.coffee/2022/12/how-we-got-grifted/