Newbie, first machine, first cup....a few questions!

[jlady]

Hi,

I am a newbie, got my first working machine...(1st one was a delonghi off ebay but didn't work)....now I have a cuisinart machine model EM100-FR.

This morning was my very first attempt at an espresso and then a latte using the espresso I made. I was fumbling around and my first batch was mostly water with a few spirts of dark in the beginning and then light milky colored water.

So I threw that out and started again and tamped the grinds down harder and used less water (maybe 2-3 oz). Then I foamed 4 oz of skim milk and viola...to my surprise I liked the taste.

But I have a few questions..

1. I am using starbucks espresso roast ground coffee....can I/should I grind this even further to make it finer? I already have a grinder so this would be easy for me to do. I know I should get beans and grind as needed, but for now this is what I have and was wondering if grinding this will make a difference.

2. The cuisinart instructions don't tell me how much water I should use in the tank for an espresso, double espresso etc. So how much water should I put in the tank, I am assuming this is important or is it??

3. For frothing milk, I need water in tank...don't I....again does it matter how much water in the tank for this??

I find it strange the instruction booklet doesn't mention amounts of water for any of the recipes it includes. The only time it mentions water at all is doing a dry run with a full tank to prepare the machine or after it is sitting awhile. It says then to fill the tank. It does talk about the quality of the water to use but not how much.

 

[shadow745]

1. I wouldn't try regrinding coffee as it will probably lead to clogging. May also make bad coffee even worse. Do know that using pre-ground coffee will not give decent results as the magic coffee has to offer is lost in a short period of time after grinding. Don't expect any crema and only thin/water espresso until you do source fresh coffee and grind as needed. 2. I recommend completely filling the tank before each use as you don't want to run anything dry. Nothing wrong with having leftover water in the tank. I do recommend removing/washing the tank every 1-2 weeks to be sure nothing starts to grow in it. This is often overlooked and will happen... 3. You need water in the tank anytime the machine is used. Water from the tank is drawn into the boiler for brewing and steaming. **Espresso is something you will only learn through trial and error. There isn't a magical formula you can use for grind settings, dosing, amount of liquid extracted per shot, etc... it's all trial/error till you find what works for YOU, then work to achieve that consistently**.

 

[jlady]

I tried again this morning, the coffee starts as a nice dark caramel color for a few spurts then goes to a light tan color. I tried 3 times and same thing any suggestions?? I am assuming it is the tamping pressure???

 

[shadow745]

STALE COFFEE... Coffee used for espresso is critical and misunderstood. Needs to be no more than 3-5 days from roast (not just opening the bag), ground only before use, stored properly, etc. Otherwise the rest of your effort is wasted.