Ponte Vecchio Lusso - advice please?

Moon

*COFFEE HALL OF FAME **According to Moon - using his Ponte Vecchio Lusso and Compak Touch Grinder !st GOLD MEDAL** Goes to mycuppa - for his ETHIOPIAN YIRGACHEFFE Single origin - that was 7 weeks post roast. Yep .. you heard it right folks. 7 weeks .. unbelievable! The coffees made from these babies is the clear standout since purchasing my PV Lusso and Compak grinder back in December 2013. Rating - 9.5/10 - Outstanding! 2nd. SILVER MEDAL Goes to Jonty for his ETHIOPIAN YIRGACHEFFE and INDIAN TIGER MOUNTAIN Single origins that he generously sent me for a rating. Jonty roasted these beans himself in his Behmor roaster, and although both batches of these little critters were a very dark roast .. and as oily as all fu.. - they both blew me away. Rating - 9.4/10 on both counts. Sensational! 3rd. BRONZE MEDAL* And only just pipped at the post .. is Koffee Kosmo with a flying finish with his ETHIOPIAN YIRGACHEFFE Medium roast beans that he cooked up in his own designed KKTO roaster .. that he also most generously sent me to try out and give a rating. Rating - 9.35/10 Delicious! HIGHLY COMMENDED Georges Coffee - Brunswick, Victoria. *Premium blend Rating - 9.25/10 Mission Control Coffee - Glenn Anthony - Tweed Heads Sth, NSW. *Major Tom blend Rating - 9.23/10 COMMENDED Sirius Coffee - Dave(Roman) - Glen Iris, Victoria *Sirius Classic Rating - 9.2/10 Sixty West - Elvin - St Albans, Victoria *Entire range - 9.18/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * The Stuffed Turkey Awards - another time >😃

Kevohere

Well done mate! What a great posting and review of your coffee brewing experiences. It may have appeared a bit critical earlier on in this thread but I can assure you, I have followed it and your ratings scheme with great interest and admiration of your efforts. :thumb: KK' suggestion to try a large conikal, if not only for the taste difference, also looking for a slight increase in your ratings, is a good idea and if one should become available, I'm sure you'll jump at it. (For me, the difference in the Mazzer Mini to my newly acquired [3rd hand] BNZ was very obvious). Meantime and importantly, enjoy your journey, the tastings and scores with what's at hand. :coffee2: Kevo

Moon

Cheers for that Kevo. All my ratings have been a little down for a while now .. and after using new batches of Georges premium, Major Tom, and Sixty West - being very highly regarded previously .. each lacked clarity of flavour and bean a little disappointing. With the current batch of mycuppa's Barista - it did show a sign of lovely flavour in a couple of cups .. which suggests it is all there .. only I haven't bean able to tweak it to unleash the full flavour .. and no consistency .. well, err .. other than consistently below par. :tearhair: I haven't yet checked out the grinder blades .. as the grinder appears the most likely candidate for why the standard of coffees has dropped. I will also have to get some cleaning tablets for the coffee machine as well. I can't really see things improving until after these have bean dealt with. It's unfortunate that I don't have a friend who has invested in some good equipment .. who happens to be living down my way. Mid way through the coming year .. I will be getting a car .. so at least I'll be mobile incase I need to transport my gear anywhere. Bit difficult to get it around on my Vespa (Aprilia) type scooter that I have at the mo.. Coffees are still nice .. only a little bland compared to what I have bean able to produce in the past. I'll admit it .. I've become a bit of a coffee snob .. where a 'nice' coffee just doesn't quite cut it these days. 8) At least I get to point the finger at myself .. and not fork out $4 down at a Cafe for a sub-standard coffee. Now that's disappointing. 😢

Kevohere

Moon wrote:

I haven't yet checked out the grinder blades .. as the grinder appears the most likely candidate for why the standard of coffees has dropped. I will also have to get some cleaning tablets for the coffee machine as well. I can't really see things improving until after these have bean dealt with. It's unfortunate that I don't have a friend who has invested in some good equipment .. who happens to be living down my way. Mid way through the coming year .. I will be getting a car .. so at least I'll be mobile incase I need to transport my gear anywhere. Bit difficult to get it around on my Vespa (Aprilia) type scooter that I have at the mo..

I have learned that as with ANY grinder, after a good clean there is a noticeable improvement in the cup. I pull mine down brush, vacuum and wash the washable at least every 2nd month. As with the brewing equipment, it's well worth the effort. :thumb: As far as the Vespa goes mate, a quick trip to India will show you how much you can load her up! Some of the sights I witnessed over there. ??? Unfortunately, (or fortunately) you won't get very far around the streets of Melbourne before the long arm of the law reaches out. :laugh:

Koffee_Kosmo

Moon wrote:

I will also have to get some cleaning tablets for the coffee machine as well. I can't really see things improving until after these have bean dealt with.

A lever machine does not require a chemical flush What's needed is removal and a good clean of the water screen and all exposed areas of the brew head Do this on a regular schedule The other option is to pull apart the piston section for a service - However this is only recommended if you have pressure issues KK

Moon

Kevohere wrote:

As far as the Vespa goes mate, a quick trip to India will show you how much you can load her up! Some of the sights I witnessed over there. ???

I'll assume it's more than the Africans can load up on their heads :rofl: I bought a Gaggia Baby on eBay a couple of years ago .. and picked it up on my scooter. It worked the first time and that was it .. was like a brand new machine. The repair guys told me they don't use carriers to transport their repaired machines back to customers, as they are a bit rough and machines have been damaged. I then figured that, although I used some padding - the vibration and bumps along the road could very well have caused the problem .. even though I blamed the seller for selling me a dodgy machine .. and tried to get a refund. He blamed me .. and said it worked fine 6 months ago when they last used it - and posted negative feedback saying that I was a scammer who wanted to get parts from it before wanting to return it. I had told him that I had one the same and wanted another one. He put 2 and 2 together and came up with 5. Cost me $50 .. a bargain for the first half of the story. Edit: Cheers KK :thumb: - that's a saving ;D just to finish off the story. I never got my refund .. and when I gave him neg feedback, he changed his listing to a Private Seller whereby my FB was removed. Mine, in all it's glory --> scammer ..was still up there in lights. Fortunately, it was removed after a few days .. and my perfect score reinstated. The repairer in Geelong charges $88 iirc to look at it .. and then there could have been the repair bill on top of that. Do I take the punt and pay the $88 .. and hope it is something quick and easy that doesn't cost anything .. or much .. or do I cut my losses and simply write it off and l just lose the $50 I paid for it? I went with the latter .. and it's still sitting in my cupboard taking up space. I'll never revert back to a Gaggia Baby to use it for parts. Thanks for the idea, at least .. seller.

Moon

Here's how it all started Yep .. :-[ I too started out drinking Nescafe .. only my method of making a latte was to mix the granules with sugar to make a paste and then boil the milk. Fantastic! WOW! My housemate at the time had a cheap $80 Krupps that I began using, which she ended up giving me cause I loved it so much. I caught on after a while that every 4 weeks or so the water was coming out all milky, and wondered how many of these had I already been drinking? I'd flush the machine out until it ran clear .. and it was business as usual until the next time it happened. After several months of this .. I decided to upgrade and buy a new $200 Sunbeam from Myers and bought a $130 DeLonghi grinder after haggling the price down from $160. I was pretty chuffed with my brand new coffee setup Wowee .. coffee had never tasted so good and i was on Cloud 9 for the next couple of years. The machine carked it .. and figured that rather than paying $650 for a new Gaggia from the Coffee shop I purchased my Coffex Super Bar beans from .. I'd do the eBay thing .. and get a 2nd hand machine for the same retail value for hopefully only $100 .. which I did. It was amy first Gaggia Baby.. the one with the square buttons. This machine lasted about 2 years before giving up the ghost .. so I bought another 2nd hand DeLonghi on eBay for $100 .. thinking that if I get at least a year out of it .. I'm laughing. This is when I got my younger Sister interested in Coffee .. so I bought another Gaggia Baby on eBay .. yep .. you guessed it, for $100 .. and had it delivered to her place up on the Gold Coast. About a month later .. my DeLonghi developed an electrical problem, and seeing I figured I didn't want to run the risk of electrocuting myself, bought another Baby on eBay for XXX <--- yep. lol. Have to admit I was spewing that I decided to give the better machine to my Sister .. oh well. It lasted her a year when she decided to buy a new Lelit and grinder .. so she sent the Baby back to me which I used for another 12 months. In the end .. I got sick of having to jam a small screwdriver into the side of one of the buttons so that the steamer would work to froth the milk. It was then that I started to think about turning the dream into a reality and started looking up what a Silvia and Rocky grinder would cost? This was when I started doing my research and came across Coffee Snobs and Home Barista forums .. and then a little later this Crema forum to get advice and information on what experienced Coffee drinkers thought of the Silvia and Rocky. As you can imagine .. they didn't exactly set the flames of Coffee Heaven alight .. and this is when I started considering the idea of getting a lever machine .. mainly due to Lacehims posts on forums about the Ponte Vecchio Lusso. God Bless him. It came down to the PV Lusso, Electra Microcasa .. and the La Pavoni. A late switch over to the Bezeera PID machine nearly got the win .. until I received an email back from Italy to say that they had a red PV Lusso almost ready to ship if I still wanted it. BANG! .. it was a done deal! .. and coming up to a year later .. here I am. :thumb:

Moon

Ok .. grinder cleaned and ready to go.. hmm needed a cleanup alright. Tipped the machine upside down several times and grinds were still coming out from somewhere. No worries .. all sorted. Damn .. spat out course grinds .. one turn too many. Ready to go .. beans ground .. pour too quick .. sinker .. adjust finer and roll again. Stat tuned.. it's a process ;D Yep .. heaps better .. and a much brighter coffee. Adjusted the grind slightly finer Then I remembered to do the shower screen and up around the inside of the group head. Bit of grunge there .. so back in business and ready to give these Barista beans a fair hearing next time. Blimey .. just missed out on the Hall of Fame Awards. Golly .. hope mycuppa ain't tuned in at the mo. ??? Cleaning of the grinder threw a couple of curved balls .. only easy enough after you've bean through it the first time. I need to get into the routine of giving the grinder a clean. On the video she reckons every 2 months if you use oily beans .. otherwise every 6 months. I'll aim high and plan for every 2 -3 months. :-* Cheers to KK and Kevo for the heads up ... Moon is back! .. again. :thumb: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sent an sms to my Sister up there on the Gold Coast where I'll be staying for 10 days over Christmas .. that it is important to give her grinder a good cleanout .. which I said I'll do when up there. She has a Lelit grinder and coffee machine .. so i need to make sure it's in top shape for my coffees when up there. You know it makes sense. 8) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Edit: Yeah Kevo .. quite a lot of grind retention .. and after you think you've got it all .. out comes a heap more. Seems to me that regular vacuuming would only pickup some of the grinds but leave lots still in there .. same as when doing the carpet .. not that there's any of that dirt trap in my joint .. fake timber flooring all round .. which is good.

Kevohere

Moon wrote:

Stat tuned.. it's a process ;D

Yep, we've all been there, done that. It can be a bit of a surprise just how much some grinders do retain. You can brush, blow and suck all you like during the week (or two), but when it comes pull down and major clean time........ "Where the #*^k all that come from?" ??? It's recently been mentioned elsewhere on this forum; Good, no, (consistently) great coffee = wastage. Dialing in and purging, helps us get through our (fresh) beans quicker which means if you home roast = more roasting. :coffee2:

Moon

After reading prior to receiving my PV Lusso that the factory default setting for the thermostat was 1.5 bar .. and that this was too high and should be adjusted down to 1.1 bar according to some Coffee Gurus .. I did this, along with the insulation, before attempting my first cup. There was one catch .. I adjusted it to 1.2 bar instead of 1.1 :doh: Having noticed that the machine powers on at 1.2 bar .. and switches off at 1.3 bar .. I finally decided to open up the case and adjust it down to 1.0 bar .. so that the power cuts off at 1.1 bar .. which is when I'd pull the shot. I decided to drain the boiler and put fresh water in it .. as I hadn't been emptying the boiler each day to remove the 'stale' stuff - as some recommend to do. I took the easy/lazy option and not bother .. as I figured I was only putting enough water in each day for my 2 or 3 lattes .. and this would turn over the water so that it wouldn't get stale. Besides, I don't call filtered water that has been boiled 2 or 3 times .. stale anyway. Well .. after pouring out the litre of water in the boiler .. it gave me a .. YIKES moment. The water was a yellowy brown colour. Blimey .. what have I bean drinking .. what's this? A classic wtf moment right there. :-[ Anyway, I poured another litre in and gave it a good shake .. and tipped the machine upside down into a container in the sink to check the colour. Even more brownish than the first time. I then decided to get the white vinegar out and add another litre .. in a 50-50 mix with water, gave it a good shake and let it sit for half an hour. Another shake and poured it out. Crikey .. even darker. I repeated the rinse twice with water .. both times coming out clear. Conclusion: :lamp: I think I'll be pouring out the water from the boiler more regularly to check what I've bean drinking. Oh, and yep - the coffee tastes better ..no surprise there, although I reckon there's a flavour of some sort missing now. I think I can live with(out) that. :thumb:

Kevohere

Hmm, seems there has been a very enlightening moment (or two) for you mate. Would it be safe to say that there is now going to be some slight increase in the rating scores from here on? :coffee2:

Moon

You'd think so - only perhaps I can play the hard arse .. and say .. now the coffees actually deserve the ratings they've bean getting.. rather than being generous and giving them the benefit of the doubt. Harsh but fair *Check my quip under photo .. can't say yas haven't been warned :rofl: ps. That last Barista was better .. only I still don't reckon it's a 9.2/10 Last score was a 9.18/10 iirc .. which means there's not a lot of wiggle room there. 3 weeks post roast .. and should be hitting its straps. Lacking a bit of X factor .. something like that ad a while ago where the bloke copped a whack across the face with a big fish to wake him up Was it XXX mints? Besides .. you mention to anyone that you rated a coffee a 9/10 .. and their reaction would be that you must have bean really impressed with it. A 9/10 is a great score for a coffee. Anything above that really needs to be earned in order differentiate between what are very good coffees .. and what are exceptional .. like those winning medals in the Hall of Fame They were truly exceptional. Funny .. mecums After the grinder cleanout .. I'm still tweaking the grind .. so there's still hope. 8) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *CORRECTION* HALL OF FAME - GOLD MEDAL to mycuppa was for a GUATEMALA single origin.. not a YIRGACHEFFE mycuppa said this was the best bean of the year .. although difficult to deal with - and I had all sorts of trouble getting much out of it .. so I put them away in the cupboard and brought them out after 7 weeks post roast. KAPOW! WOW! Yeah Baby! Couldn't believe it .. neither can anyone else :rofl: No doubt mycuppa will take it .. and accept the Gold Medal :thumb: It was a cracker alright. *BANG* -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kevohere

.. so there's still hope. 8) Always hope man, always. This is the type of post that reminds us of the importance of regular equipment cleaning. My late mum always told us kids; "Cleanliness is next to Godliness". I can now translate that as; if you're after that "God-shot", things need to be clean. ^-^

Brett_H

Great thread Mooney! From coffee noob to coffee highbrow its a great journey. I've got the MyCuppa variety pack on the way so here's to your 9.5's and beyond :coffee2:

Moon

Brett H wrote:

Great thread Mooney! From coffee noob to coffee highbrow its a great journey. I've got the MyCuppa variety pack on the way so here's to your 9.5's and beyond :coffee2:

Hey Brett .. you have to deliver on that .. not just tease me.. I'll be expecting some ratings once you've dial them in and pouring those God shots .. deal? My PV Lusso and Compak journey is coming up for our first anniversary in December. I remember my Sister telling me after I'd had them around a month - [para] -you should have it all worked out by now. I lol'd hard at the time :rofl: There's apparently bean a few PV Lussos up for sale lately, so who knows, another lucky owner might show up and join in?

Moon

Hmm .. what a difference a good cleanout of your coffee machine and grinder makes. Time to start thinking about my next kilo of roasted beans. It'd be good to have another crack at Georges Premium or Major Tom - now that I'm keen and prepared for some serious coffee consumption/appreciation. It'll be no excuses .. so Moon will need his mojo. :thumb:

C-man

Moon, something tells me you might like a good Keyna bean, have you tried any?

Moon

No I haven't yet. I've ordered a kilo of Major Tom .. which will arrive Wed or Thur. What is it exactly about the Kenya you think will appeal? I noticed the Kenya is mentioned in mycuppa's newsletter I've just received. I have rated the single origins the highest .. so I should consider recommendations like yours and giving them a try. Recommendations are better than taking pot luck when trying new beans. Last night - being day 3 after giving my coffee machine and grinder a good cleanout .. including the water in the boiler.. I ended up emptying the boiler out again last night - and noticed the water was cloudy as well as having a slight odour. The odour from water being in a metal container. lol .. no surprise there eh :🙂 This tells me that not draining out the water after 3 days is too long. I'll try 2.

Brett_H

I second the Kenyan! Get the Kenyan from MyCuppa... It sounds awesome: http://www.mycuppa.com.au/single-origin-kenyan-coffee-beans/

Moon

Brett H wrote:

I've got the MyCuppa variety pack on the way so here's to your 9.5's and beyond :coffee2:

Remember this ^ ? We're all waiting for the ratings .. then i'll consider getting some of the beans you have that have produced 9.5 and above. Was Kenyan a part of the pack you received? Share you experience .. and of course your ratings .. including special comments on each. Cheers for that .. we're all looking forward to how those lattes are going down whilst listening to that impressive Hi Fi system you have. I've just ordered a kilo .. so I'll be waiting a while before ordering my next lot. Over to you Brettmate .. we're all ears. :thumb:

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